District 300 bus drivers ratify contract

Almost seven months after bus drivers in Community Unit District 300 sat down with the private contractor that employs them, the two sides have reached a deal.

In a 70-42 vote, the bus drivers on Sunday ratified the tentative agreement reached with Durham School Services on Aug. 31, according to the Teamsters.

The ratification and imminent signing of the contract concludes a turbulent period that followed the District 300 school board's 2007 decision to privatize the district's busing.

The school board's move sparked a battle between the Teamsters and the Illinois Education Association over who should represent the 260 drivers. The Teamsters won that battle when the union received the most votes in an October 2008 union election.

The new, three-year contract between the Teamsters and Durham includes better wages and benefits for the part-time drivers. Neither party would divulge any specifics.

"We are happy with the contract. We made substantial gains," Teamsters Local 330 President Dominic Romanazzi said, adding: "I don't want to go into intricate details. I'd rather not go into the salary basics."

Romanazzi did say driver pay will increase by 10 percent over three years and that the contract addresses concerns drivers had over grievance procedures and jury duty pay.

But the contract does not address health insurance, a central grievance when drivers pushed to unionize, Romanazzi said.

"There's an agreement to come back and talk about it," he said.

The negotiations were originally expected to last two to four months. Romanazzi said contract talks took so long because the parties, in drafting a new contract, were essentially starting from scratch.

"Obviously, it's good to be done with the negotiations," Durham spokeswoman Laura Osheaski said. "We can get back to business."