Schools

Union Offers Concessions, Counters Deal to Outsource Busing

Reps for AFSCME Local 3057 make their case as Valley View considers proposal from private bus company.

After postponing their vote by 60 days to give union reps a chance to counter an offer made by a Warrenville-based bus company, board members on Monday heard a proposal by members of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3057.

, which represents Valley View bus drivers and monitors, is offering concessions that president Jim Canady said will save the district hundreds of thousands annually in exchange for keeping transportation in house.

Since September, the board has been to bring in a private bus company in a bid to save money.

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According to Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services Gary Grizaffi, state funding cuts of more than $3.6 million since 2009 plus overdue state payments of $1.5 million have created a more than $5 million transportation fund deficit.

In October, the district began soliciting bids from area busing companies. One company, Durham School Services, has offered a proposal that could save the district $850,000 per year, officials have said.

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On Monday, Canady and AFSCME 31 staff representative Florence Estes presented a counter offer. Under the proposal, the union would agree to:

  • A salary freeze for at least the 2012-13 school year; salary negotiations would reopen in 2013-14 or 2014-15 if district revenues were to improve
  • Eliminate four paid in-service days
  • Forfeit retroactive pay for drivers and monitors
  • Eliminate sick leave conversion
  • Eliminate three paid holidays
  • Lower the starting pay for a first-year driver from $20 per hour to $14 per hour

Estes said the plan would save the district $500,000 in year one and more than $690,000 in years two and three.

“We think this is a fair proposal,” Estes said, adding that although the district’s calculations weigh costs including office staff, maintenance staff and vehicle expenses, “The only thing we have control over is our own salary.”

According to Estes, salary costs for bus drivers and monitors make up 46 percent of the district’s transportation expenses.

Canady urged board members to look at what he called the “human side” of the issue: the 195 drivers who work for Valley View.

“These are our livelihoods here,” he said. “ … Some things cannot be measured by dollars.”

Illinois School Code would require Durham to offer available jobs to current staffers who meet the qualifications. But union reps said the plan could still mean job loss for drivers and monitors.

“Once they hire them, nothing in the school code requires they to keep them. They could be fired for anything or nothing,” Estes said. She added she believes a big portion of Durham's savings will come from slashing pay below a living wage.

“At the end of the day, any company is looking for profit,” Canady added. “Once they get in the door, things can change and change in a hurry.”

Safety concerns

Board vice president Rick Gougis questioned Canady, saying Durham’s safety record is stronger than Valley View’s. According to district documents, Durham’s 2010-11 record shows zero accidents per million miles traveled, compared to Valley View’s 9.2 per million miles.

“Money is tight,” Gougis said, adding that while safety comes first, the district must find a way to resolve the $5.1 million transportation fund deficit. “Whoever [keeps students safe] and saves us the most money, that’s what I’m going to base my decision on.”

How the numbers stack up

Canady criticized officials, saying he felt the union’s proposal wasn’t being given a fair shake. According to Canady and Estes, the union was told it would have to match $800,000 per year in savings to compete with Durham’s proposal. But the documents presented by district Transportation Director Derrick Berlin painted a different picture, he said.

Three-year projections presented by Berlin show a difference of $2.8 million difference between continuing with in-house busing and Durham’s plan. The difference between the union proposal and Durham’s is more than $1.9 million over three years.

Here’s how the three plans stack up, according to district documents.

2012-2015 Gross Expenses (3Y) Estimated State Reimbursement (3Y) Estimated Net Cost Valley View Public Schools $39,062,806 $20,859,538 $18,203,268 AFSCME Union Proposal $37,147,930 $19,834,858 $17,309,072 Durham School Services $37,627,828 $22,309,539 $15,318,289

Under the Durham plan, some of the savings for Valley View comes in the form of increased reimbursements from the state, according to Grizaffi, since the district would be able to claim the entire cost of the contract. However, given Illinois' financial woes, state funding is not guaranteed, he acknowledged.

“They may pro-rate it,” he said. “They could change the formula.”

With Valley View’s contract with AFSCME expiring in July 2012, Durham is proposing a three-year contract lasting through 2015.

Grizaffi said the district’s goal is to for the board to decide whether to outsource busing at its next meeting, scheduled for Feb. 13 at the Valley View administration center, 755 Dalhart Ave., Romeoville.


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