School bus operators press local boards for more cash

‘Historic gap’ between minimum wage and driver wages ‘has shrunk’

Hamilton school bus operators are urging local boards to compensate them for the hike in Ontario’s minimum wage as they struggle to retain drivers.

“The issue of school bus driver pay needs to be addressed in order to provide good-quality, safe and on-time service,” Bill Sharp of Sharp Bus Lines said Wednesday.

But Todd White, chair of Hamilton’s public board, says it’s up to operators to find that money.

“The obligation rests with them. Bus drivers are not employees of school boards.”

Operators and the consortium that handles transportation for the public and Catholic boards are in the sixth year of a contract that has renewal options for an additional two years.

It is at the consortium’s discretion, not the operators, to decide whether the contract is extended, White said.

Compensation is one of the topics to be discussed during a meeting next week with consortium and board officials.

White was careful to make clear the consortium isn’t entering into negotiations. However, a “voluntary” increase for driver pay could be a consideration.

The issue comes to a boil as the local boards predict a driver shortage come September, a problem that’s led to route delays the previous two school years.

With students arriving late for class and parents scrambling to find other ways to get their children to school, boards are under pressure to work out the kinks.

The hope is that enough drivers will materialize when classes start.

Board officials and operators alike have cited low pay as detrimental to driver retention.

Sharp refers to a “historic gap” between minimum wage and what drivers expect. “And that gap has shrunk.”

In January, the previous Liberal government hiked minimum wage to $14 an hour from $11.60.

Sharp says he pays his drivers in the $16-to-$18 range.

Glenn Attridge, president of Attridge Transportation, has offered drivers a raise of $2 to $3.50 an hour, bringing pay between $16 and $17.50.

“I’m putting my money out there, but I’m hoping to get some of that back.”

Attridge and Sharp say operators must offer competitive wages to recruit drivers. If not, people will opt for less stressful work for the same pay.

John Persich, a new driver, said he’s looking forward to Attridge’s raise in pay.

“If the pay doesn’t go up, I would highly consider leaving the company for another bus company that’s paying more,” said Persich, a 67-year-old who also holds down another job.

Minimum wage isn’t enough for the high responsibility that comes with driving children around the city, he says.

Debbie Montgomery, president of Unifor 4268 — which represents school bus drivers in Ontario, but not in Hamilton — says pay varies considerably across Ontario.

“I think the province could address that. They’re all doing the same jobs.”

Montgomery also questions the Hamilton consortium’s role in letting the pay issue fester. “To leave it unfixed for this long leaves me scratching my head.”

Attridge and Sharp point to neighbouring school boards, such as Halton, where a minimum driver pay of $19.50 is written into a request for proposals.

White argued the operators knew the terms in Hamilton when they signed the contract. He also noted the agreement offers two per cent yearly increases.

The public board already struggles to meet its roughly $14-million transportation budget with the funding it receives from the province, White says.

“While we’re feeling the pain, we held up our end of the bargain in terms of the contract.”