School bus drivers picket in Sherbrooke
Several hundred delegates of the 27th annual conference of the Fédération des employees et employés de services publics (FEESP-CSN) a union representing, among other things, school and municipal support staff, gathered in Sherbrooke’s Jacques Cartier Park on Tuesday to hold a rally in support of school bus drivers across the province.
“Every action we have taken recently has been a part of our action plan, which is focused on getting respect for our jobs and decent working conditions,” said Stephen P. Gauley, President of the union’s school bus driver division. “We have been living with indecent salaries that do not recognize the extent of our responsibilities.”
Gauley pointed out that the average annual salary of a school bus driver is $19,288 which, he said, is not enough to live on. In light of that fact, the union rep said that the group is demanding the government set aside $26.75 million to improve the working conditions of the drivers across the province.
The school transport section of the FEESP-CSN accounts for more than 3,000 workers across Quebec.