Union Strands 152,000 Kids Including 54,000 with Special Needs

Remember when unions were about making sure basic humanitarian conditions existed in the workplace?  Well, now they are about having GUARANTEED jobs and stranding tens of thousands of kids, including those with special needs, if that is what it takes.  Oh and did I mention their demands are actually ILLEGAL?  Read this:

More than 8,000 New York City school bus drivers and matrons went on strike over job protection this morning, leaving some 152,000 students, many disabled, trying to find other ways to get to school.

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Those who rely on the buses include 54,000 special education students and others who live far from schools or transportation.

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The city has put its contracts with private bus companies up for bid, aiming to cut costs. The Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union says drivers could suddenly lose their jobs when contracts expire in June.


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The city doesn't directly hire the bus drivers and matrons, who work for private companies that have city contracts. The workers make an average of about $35,000 a year, with a driver starting at $14 an hour and potentially making as much as $29 an hour over time, according to union President Michael Cordiello.

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Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said the city must seek competitive bids to save money.

The union sought job protections for current drivers in the new contracts. The city said that the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals, has barred it from including such provisions because of competitive bidding laws.