Vol. 78/No. 17      May 5, 2014

The morning protest was held in front of the main offices of Veolia Transportation, which operates school bus systems in more than 130 areas in the U.S. and Canada and has a contract with Boston Public Schools. Some 700 union drivers with the company transport 33,000 students daily.

The picket line was a show of solidarity with four fired union officers: Grievance Committee Chairperson Stevan Kirschbaum, Vice President Steve Gillis, Recording Secretary Andre Francois and steward and former Local President Garry Murchison. The four were having a union grievance hearing with management that morning over their terminations last fall.

The firings, on the charge of instigating an illegal strike, followed events on Oct. 8, 2013, when drivers tried to get top company officials who were visiting the bus yard to discuss some 300 grievances over pay shortages and other contract violations. After missing their morning departures, the drivers were escorted from the property by Boston Police and the company locked the gates.

In addition to the four firings Veolia issued letters of reprimand to 864 drivers.

“We have to fight for these guys because they fight for other drivers,” Ludnay Pierre, a bus driver since 1994, told the Militant at the protest.

Walking the picket line in solidarity were members of UNITE HERE Local 26; the IWW, which is involved in an organizing drive with Insomnia Cookies in the Boston area; the International Action Center; and the Coalition for Equal Quality Education.

The current union contract expires June 30, 2015.
 
 
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