Boston school bus drivers left many parents enraged and many school-aged children and teenagers without a way to get to school after their surprising strike on Tuesday. Just a day later however, it appeared as though the majority of drivers were back to work.
According to The Boston Herald, the strike left 30,000 students with no way to get to school in the morning. A meeting was set for this morning between drivers Veolia Corp., the private company in charge of bus operation for Boston, on the condition that drivers return to work.
Many of them did—600 buses left the bus yards today and got children to school with only minor delays.
The bus drivers’ had filed multiple complaints with the National Labor Relations Board, The New York Times reports. However, due to the federal government shutdown, which has lasted for more than a week now, the board was not operating. Drivers then decided to stage a walkout—one that Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino has called illegal, as the union failed to notify city or even school officials of their plans.
The strike not only left parents and children scrambling for a way to get to school, but also disrupted city life. Menino ordered police officers to drive around the bus stations, and make sure all stranded children were taken safely to school. Menino stated on Tuesday, “Today’s actions are a result of a group of angry people who don’t like to follow the rules. They’ve agreed to a contract, a very good contract, and now they don’t want to live up to that.”