Hempfield Area School District bus drivers propose 'savings'

The union representing bus drivers in the Hempfield Area School District has submitted a proposal to the school board that offers "a fair amount of savings" on health care and an "extremely reasonable amount" on wages.

Gilbert Gall, who represents the Hempfield Area Educational Support Professionals in negotiations, said, "We're trying to be as reasonable as possible."

At stake are the jobs of 149 drivers and custodians.

Transportation, food services, cleaning and maintenance are part of a $134 billion market, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

The school board is demanding concessions worth $9 million to $10 million over four years. Otherwise, directors will hire a private contractor, First Student, to take over transportation of the districts 6,400 students. First Student's proposal would save the district $1.4 million in the first year, board members said.

The contract between the union, which is a branch of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, and district expired last summer. The two sides have been negotiating and will continue until they reach an impasse.

School board President John Henry said the union has proposed switching health care to the Allegheny County Schools Health Insurance Consortium, a group of 42 Allegheny County school districts, four vo-tech schools and the intermediate unit.

"The wage package they proposed is fair, reasonable," Henry said.

The union has begun a letter-writing campaign and obtained 1,300 names on a petition protesting any plans to hire a private firm.

"We're been trying to point out to the board that savings a subcontractor is going to give them is illusory," Gall said.

He said once the district sells its bus fleet, it will be at the mercy of First Student, which can increase costs in future contracts.

The district's bus fleet is aging. It has purchased used buses rather than new ones and has been embroiled in a lawsuit by bus drivers against transportation director Pat Carnicella, who is on medical leave. Carnicella has been accused of illegally recording private conversations between bus drivers.

Dave Vastell has been driving a school bus for six years. In addition to driving, he said, his job entails acting as a referee, a baby sitter and sometimes a disciplinarian.

Vastell earns $14.33 an hour and contributes $99 a month for health care for himself and his wife. His duties require him to put in more time than he's paid for, he said.

"I have lost an hour a day ... that's 180 days' pay a year," he said. "I'm putting in time off the clock."

The school board said First Student has agreed to hire district drivers, but driver Liz Ferens said she would lose her health care and pension.

"Why take something that's working and ruin it?" she said.

Dennis Bevan, a custodian at the high school and vice president of the union, said private contractors will charge extra for work that district employees routinely handle as part of their jobs.

"This is stuff we do every day," he said. "No questions asked. We just do it."

Driver Bruce Williams said parents are upset about the possible change in bus service because drivers know if their children have any medical conditions that require watching.

"Parents want to keep the drivers because they have so much trust in the drivers," Williams said.

"We know our kids," Bevan added. "We know their brothers and sisters. We know their parents. The kids call us by our first names. They know us as well as they know their parents."