Several Shelby County Schools bus drivers have threatened to go on strike Monday, the first day of school.
The union is recommending that 300 bus drivers vote to reject the current contract, More than 90 percent of members already voted to authorize a strike earlier this month, according to union representatives quoted in the Commercial Appeal.
“If the vote is no, I’m going to take their butt out on strike, I imagine,” said Terry Lovan, the president of Teamsters Local 984, in the Commercial Appeal. “Unless the company wants to talk over the weekend and try to come to some conclusion.
But Durham issued a statement Tuesday that said:
We have reached agreement with Teamsters 984 on a majority of items. We are continuing talks with the union and are optimistic we will reach agreement. This is the first we have heard of any intentional disruption to service and while we are disappointed with the inaccuracies released to the media, we will continue to respect the confidentiality of the bargaining process and will not bargain publically.
Debbie Rike, who leads transportation for the municipalities, said a potential strike wouldn’t affect the municipalities because their drivers, who also work for Durham, aren’t unionized.