Councilmembers Teresa Mosqueda, Rob Johnson and Lorena González issued the following statement regarding the school bus driver strike set to begin tomorrow:
“The people who safely transport our kiddos in Seattle to public schools deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. This must begin with a decent contract with First Student. We stand in solidarity with Teamsters Local 174 in their pursuit of health care benefits and retirement plans for Seattle school bus drivers that reflect our values as a city. When public dollars go to contract businesses, it is imperative that we ensure we are taking care of the people who take care of our kiddos and this means a higher standard for wages and benefits. We applaud the efforts of Local 174 to bring First Student up to par.
“We know this means some extra planning for parents. Here is some information to help parents plan for alternative ways to get their kids to school tomorrow. As you make your plans, please know the following resources are available to you:
- Metro bus routes serve all public schools in Seattle. Click here to find which route will work best for you.
- Consider participating in a Walking School Bus or Bike Train (a group of children walking or biking to school with one or more adults picking up students along the way). Contact Yvonne Carpenter with the Seattle School District for more information at ylcarpenter@seattleschools.org.
- Contact your PTSA for other local school-specific plans.”