by David Flint
Berlin Central School Interim Superintendent Brian Howard said this week that he would not recommend that anyone be fired following what he had termed a strike last week by school bus drivers.
The hullabaloo, that got reported on local television news, started last week on Wednesday morning at the bus garage. One of the drivers, Charlie Hamill, said that he arrived an hour early that day and began hearing reports that the roads were icing up, especially up on the plateau, and it was getting worse. Drivers reporting to work had found the road conditions to be very hazardous. One of them, Hamill said, slipped on ice coming in to the bus garage and had to be transported to a hospital by ambulance. Hamill went down to the Stewart’s store and found that Route 22 was covered with snow. Returning to the garage, he said no vote was taken but most of the drivers did not want to take the buses out. He said that Superintendent Howard was informed at his home in Brunswick of the situation but Howard did not want to close the school. The drivers, however, felt it would not be safe for the drivers or students. Hamill said that Head Mechanic/Driver Ken Masterson was then ordered to make a tally of drivers refusing. Hamill said he felt that they had been “trapped” into a situation they did not want. Howard eventually made a decision, at about 8 am, to close school for the day and it continued to snow for most of the day.
Hamill said he and others subsequently received a letter from the Superintendent informing them that he had determined that under Civil Service law they had engaged in a strike by refusing to drive after being directed to do so by Masterson and himself. Hamill said he did not recall receiving any such specific direction. The letter continued that having caused disruption of the District’s educational program and having unnecessarily caused the District to use a snow day it could not afford, they would have deducted from their pay twice the daily rate for that day. According to Hamill, the letter added that Howard might recommend that the Board terminate his position.
Hamill said he spoke with Howard and tried to assure him that it was not a strike but simply a safety issue.
Theresa Assalian, regional spokesperson for the CSEA, the union representing the bus drivers, affirmed that it is also the position of the union that this appears to have been “a health and safety issue, plain and simple.” She said it was her understanding that the drivers showed up for work, they knew the condition of the roads and they didn’t want to put themselves or the students at risk. The union’s legal department has been involved, and the union will represent the drivers in any evidentiary hearings.
Brian Howard confirmed on Tuesday of this week that he had sent out letters of reprimand to 12 bus drivers because he considered their actions to have constituted a strike that would call for at least a double docking of pay. But no one was suspended and any penalty would be determined only after a complete presentation of facts and information. Howard added that he would not recommend that anyone be terminated, and, moreover, he said that some information he had just received may change the position of the School District. He is waiting to verify the information received and hoped to have a final decision within a few days.
