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May 7, 2008

S. Kingstown bus drivers ratify new three-year contract

SOUTH KINGSTOWN -- The school bus drivers ratified a three-year contract this afternoon, ending the threat of a strike that hovered over the district over the past week.

Members of Teamsters Local 251, the union representing drivers, aides and monitors, voted 46 to 0 to accept the deal, Shop Steward Tracie Warren said moments after the vote

“I’m very pleased,” Warren said. “I’m very glad it’s over.”

The union voted to strike last week in rejecting a proposal from DATTCO, the bus company. Members agreed to hold off on the strike, however, as long as the parties remained at the table. Talks had been ongoing since.

The agreement includes retroactive pay and raises that bring salaries in line with other districts, Warren said. She could not provide specifics, but Cliff Gibson, chief operating officer at DATTCO, said they ranged from 3 ½ to 5 percent a year.

In addition, members will be able to contribute to their 401(k) plans for the first time since those accounts were frozen when they unionized in 2001, Warren said. They also received an additional paid holiday in each year of the contract, Gibson said.

“I’m glad people stood their ground and got what they wanted,” Warren said.

“It’s a good deal,” Gibson said. “We’re very pleased we were able to negotiate a settlement that was good for all parties without an interruption in service.”

The 36 drivers and 26 aides and monitors the union represents had been working without a contract since Jan. 1.

Read Journal coverage of issues involved during the contract negotiations.

-- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Mike McKinney  at 6:17 PM | Permalink

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