NYC School Bus Driver Strike Enters Fourth Day
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The strike by city school bus drivers and matrons continues with no end in sight.
The walkout began last Wednesday, triggered by the city's plan to put bus contracts out to bid to lower costs.
The union wants a job security clause in those contracts, which the city says it can't legally do.
Union officials from Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union said bus drivers will stay on strike until the city agrees to put the employee protection provision back into their contract.
Mayor Bloomberg was asked Tuesday afternoon whether he was considering canceling city contracts with school bus companies whose drivers and matrons have gone on strike.
"I didn't talk to our lawyers to see whether we could do that or not and that's not something at the moment that I'm contemplating," said Bloomberg.
NYC School Bus Driver Strike Enters Fourth Day
"The owners, who are the ones that the union members work for, they're in court arguing it's an illegal strike. And we'll see what the courts do about that," Bloomberg said.
The mayor said he is sympathetic to people who want to keep their jobs but noted the cost to bus students to school has skyrocketed from $100 million to $1.1 billion.
The cost works out to roughly $6,900 per student, which is more than twice as much as any other city in the nation, Bloomberg said.
The mayor said the city has to get the lowest price, WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported.
More than 150,000 students are affected by the strike.
For more information about the strike for parents and students, click here.
