Mass – A contract agreement has been reached to avert a school bus driver strike that had been planned in Framingham, Marlborough and Westborough, Framingham’s mayor announced Sunday.
Framingham Mayor Charlie Sisitsky made the announcement about the contract around 6 p.m. Sunday.
NRT Bus and Teamsters Union Local 170 negotiated for nine hours Saturday, but no agreement had been reached Saturday.
The two sides met again Sunday to discuss the contract for bus drivers in the Marlborough School District.
The bus company told Boston 25 News that drivers in those three cities are already in the top 10 percent of driver wages statewide, but are still offering big raises, including a 13, 65% for drivers in Framingham. The union said the company is moving to reduce their weekly hours, which they do not support.
All three districts hoped to keep schools open even if the drivers had decided to strike.
At certain times, each side had previously accused the other of walking away from the negotiating table.
On Saturday, the union sent Boston 25 News the following statement: “Teamsters and NRT resumed negotiations today at 1:00 pm for the Framingham district and tonight after 9 hours of negotiations we have not reached an agreement. NRT made it clear that the only reason they are here is because Framingham’s mayor asked the parties to come back to the table Senior Vice President Tim Sheehan and Director of Labor and Employee Relations Jeff Rainey , of NRT, were not in the negotiations and NRT as a whole is not interested in reaching an agreement to avoid a strike.Teamsters Local 170 Secretary-Treasurer/Director Shannon George of Teamsters was present and willing to help to resolve the issues that remained on the table. Teamsters have countered 5 proposals making well considered changes. NRT made it clear that it will not negotiate the Marlborough or Westborough district contracts. All districts will be on strike from now on on Monday, May 8. Teamsters Local 170 remains available 24 hours a day to sit down if NRT wants to reach a fair and equitable settlement.
On Saturday, the bus company sent Boston 25 News the following statement:
“Twenty-four hours ago, the Teamsters rejected a lucrative offer for Framingham School District drivers and walked away from the bargaining table, ending negotiations. Today at 1:15 p.m., NRT is back at the table, ready to resume negotiations. In response to a personal request from the Mayor of Framingham to put the needs of children first and try to reach an agreement, negotiations between NRT and the Teamsters have resumed” .
According to a spokesperson, Framingham Public Schools was prepared to transport students to school using all possible efforts, including available NRT buses provided by the company’s administration, the use of two small passenger vans owned by the district and the routes operated by MetroWest Regional Transit. Authority (MWRTA), in addition to any parent-organized carpooling efforts.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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