Charleston County school bus drivers authorize strike if dissatisfied with contract

Charleston County school bus drivers may go on strike if they’re not satisfied with their new employment contract.

The local bus drivers’ union, Teamsters Local 509, held a meeting Tuesday morning in North Charleston, and drivers agreed 186-0 to authorize their leadership to call a strike if they don’t like their new employment contract.

Bus drivers have been negotiating a new contract with their employer, Durham School Services, since before their current one expired in August 2012. Those discussions are expected to resume next week, and no deadline for a deal has been set.

Some of the biggest issues for drivers include the safety and maintenance of the buses, an insufficient pay increase and a lack of affordable health insurance, said L.D. Fletcher, president of Teamsters Local 509, the drivers’ union.

In the meantime, bus drivers planned to continue driving their regular routes, and district officials didn’t expect any disruption in service this week. They said they were in talks with Durham to ensure contingency plans were made.

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