Transit union threatens school board over school bus plan

Here’s another one for the “What is the transit union thinking?” file. The Ottawa Citizen reports (emphasis ours): **

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Ottawa’s school boards had planned to enlist yellow school buses to help bring students who rely on public transit to school in the event of an OC Transpo strike.

But the plan organized by a transportation consortium that represents all four school boards had to be abandoned when the companies that operate the yellow buses balked because

 the OC Transpo drivers’ union could not guarantee striking members would refrain from picketing schools and places where students would wait for yellow buses.

Roxanne Deevey, a spokeswoman for the French-language Catholic school board, said the consortium tried and failed to get a letter from the union with assurances that striking drivers would not interfere with yellow buses. A court injunction with the same intent also failed.

“Basically, our hands are tied,” she said. “The union said we could only use the yellow buses we normally use.”

All the boards say school will remain open, but students are responsible for finding their own ways to school.

…

Meanwhile, the consortium is continuing in its negotiations with the union in the hopes of getting some kind of agreement, said Ms. Deevey.

All the boards say the safety of students, staff and yellow bus drivers is a top priority.

Andrée Myette, a spokeswoman for the French-language public school board, said 4,000 students at her board rely on OC Transpo buses.

“We don’t want to risk the safety of our students,” she said.

** Related: ** Ottawa OC Transpo Guide