Bus drivers, aides will remain at same health benefits level

LANCASTER — Antelope Valley Schools Transportation Agency bus drivers and aides will continue to receive health benefits paid by the agency at the rate they received at the end of 2019-20 school year under a memorandum of understanding with California School Employees Association Chapter 652 approved by AVSTA directors during a special Friday morning meeting.

CSEA Chapter 652 represents the agency’s classified employees.

The AVSTA serves the Antelope Valley Union High School District, Westside Union School District, and Lancaster School District. AV Union High School District and Westside Union School District will begin the 2020-21 school year on Monday via distance learning models because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Lancaster School District will start on Tuesday, also with a distance learning model.

That leaves AVSTA bus drivers and aides with no students to transport to and from schools for the time being.

The union’s collective bargaining agreement already guarantees classified employees a minimum of 5.2 hours per day. The memorandum of understanding approved Friday was an addendum to that agreement.

“Their benefits are based on the salary that they make,” CEO Morris Fuselier said. “But because we reduced the base salary initially, we felt it was fair to be able to maintain their level of benefits that they had when school ended last year.”

The agency is still in negotiations with the union to create a memorandum of understanding to develop operational procedures and policies when buses are not being operated. For example, unit

members who work out of class, such as bus drivers who do custodial work.

“It’s work that’s not directly related to driving,” Fuselier said.

The agency still needs to maintain its fleet of buses. Toward that end, the agency has a plan to bring drivers back on a rotating basis to drive the buses.

AVSTA mechanics and office staff are still working. In addition, the agency is in planning stages with the school districts on running various delivery routes for things such as food or school supplies, or possibly foster youth, or daycare transportation.