North County : 3,000 Students Affected by Bus Driver Sick-Out

Dissatisfied with wage negotiations, 40 of 44 bus drivers for the Placentia Unified School District called in sick Friday, setting off a chain reaction of early-morning telephone calls between parents, teachers and administrators in an effort to deliver 3,000 students to north Orange County schools.

District officials could not say how many of the 3,000 students who usually take the buses were affected by the unannounced “sick-out.” In addition to the 40 bus drivers, at least 60 other non-management employees called in sick, said Nancy Lavallee, Placentia chapter president of the California School Employees Assn.

Under a contingency plan, administrators were prepared with lists of people, contacted as early as 6 a.m., who drove or walked from bus stop to bus stop to pick up children, said Donna Bylund, administrative assistant to the superintendent.

Nick Siokes, in charge of the negotiating process for the district--which includes all of Placentia and parts of Brea, Anaheim, Fullerton and Yorba Linda--said the bus drivers’ action “placed the safety of children in jeopardy.”

“There’s a high potential (of risk) when you talk about leaving special education kids on the corner,” Siokes said, adding that no incidents had been reported as of late Friday afternoon.

Lavallee said that district officials “drove us to do something like this” and should assume the responsibility for any repercussions.

At issue are negotiations that remain at an impasse despite a mediator’s intervention last week, officials from both sides said. The union, which represents 700 employees in positions such as clerical, transportation and food services, is demanding a 9% pay raise and an extra holiday as part of the contract. The school district terms the union’s request unreasonable and offers a 5% pay raise and no additional holiday.

Sharon Furlong, a field representative of the union, said the average wage of a full-time bus driver is about $13,000 a year. Most bus drivers are not on full-time basis and earn less, she said. Neither salary is enough to live on, she said.

“We tried everything we could think of to try to make them realize we were serious,” Furlong said of the union members’ decision to call for a sick-out. Union officials said they are not planning to call a second sick-out. About 300 of the 700 non-management employees are part-time, Furlong said. Of the remaining 400, 265 are members of the union, she said.

Asked if employees who called in sick today would be docked a day’s pay, Siokes said, “I can guarantee it.” Furlong and Lavallee both said the employees have three paid sick days and should be paid for Friday.