Negotiations remain deadlocked as school bus strike enters fifth week with no end in sight

As the school bus strike moves into its fifth week, there seems to be little progress made during a Zoom meeting between Teamsters 959, representing the striking school bus drivers, and Durham School Services.

“At this point, any progress is good progress,” said Kelsey Taylor, a Business Agent with Teamsters 959, who is hoping that Durham School Services (DSS) will make more time available to continue that progress. The next scheduled time for both sides to meet is Wednesday, April 1 via another Zoom meeting with a federal mediator.

Frustration continues as Taylor says the union is willing and available to continue working to come to a deal to end the strike, but says it is difficult when members from DSS bargaining committee, based in Illinois, was only available until 2:00 p.m. Alaska time, then citing a conflict, cut negotiations at 1:00. “We asked them if they’d be available today (Friday)-they’re not. We asked if they’d be available Saturday-they’re not.” Taylor did say that DSS has a new lead negotiator, leaving the union with a feeling of optimism going back into negotiations later this week.

“We’re doing everything we can to get together with the company, to do the work, to get this thing over with.”

Taylor would like to see DSS stop shortchanging the community, and argues the school district must rigorously enforce its contract with Durham to ensure drivers have enough time for morning safety checks and on-time routes. He notes that the current lack of fine penalties prevents accountability, allowing Durham to cut into essential prep time for drivers and attendants

“We’ve seen this year where Durham has really, really pushed and tried to limit the time that drivers and attendants have in the morning to prepare for the day.” Taylor explains that drivers start by collecting paperwork at the bus barn before performing pre-route safety checks. However, he notes that tight schedules often make it impossible to complete these preparations and still leave on time, resulting in delays if any issues arise.

“Some routes just don’t have enough time to do all the safety check and preparations and be on time. If anything goes wrong, you’re late.”

Meanwhile, drivers and monitors on the picket line expressed an eagerness to get back to work and cautious optimism that DSS can address their concerns, specifically around safety and route times.

Longtime school bus driver Marilyn Morris says that she hates being late for her kids, but has a short amount of time to get from the bus barn, located off of Blue Lupine Road, to her route includes traveling down the Parks Highway to Church Road, and from there down to Schrock Road, a path that can sometimes be dangerous. “On my route the district gave me and the time Durham gave me to leave, I have 15 minutes to get there door side. It’s impossible.” She did say she was given five extra minutes but says it still doesn’t leave much room for error.

“We love what we do. And we care. I can tell you that being late hurts,” says Morris.

“It breaks our heart to be late,” says Taylor. “There’s nobody that wants to get the buses running on time more than the drivers.”

Other school bus drivers on the picket line shared similar stories, describing scheduling issues that lead to late drop-offs and unpaid work, as drivers arrive early just to complete required checks. They noted that a shortage of buses frequently causes frustration for families and results in students missing breakfast

They also raised safety concerns similar to those raised the last time the drivers were on strike in 2023, citing leaks into the bus, heaters not working reliably, and not having enough mechanics or parts to address minor repairs before they could become catastrophic. One driver recalled an incident earlier in the school year when a school bus driver needed a new windshield wiper, but because there weren’t any available, resort to dumpster diving to find an adequate one, summing it up as “something that’s not ideal.”

The drives, monitors, and union reiterate that they are a part of this community and would like this to come to a satisfactory end and get back to providing safe student transportation.

“We love what we do and want to get back to it,” said Morris.