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UID:Indybay-18835959
SEQUENCE:18991373
CREATED:20200818T064600Z
DESCRIPTION:8/20 SMART Local 1741 School Bus Drivers Rally At SF City Hall For Justice 
 and Against Privatization\n\nAs San Francisco starts the new school year, 
 all school bus drivers for the San Francisco Unified School District have 
 been given layoff notices, effective Aug. 31. Some 260 workers are affected 
 by this sudden announcement.\n\nIn response, the union, SMART Local 1741 
 (Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation) and the workers we represent 
 will hold a rally on the steps of San Francisco City Hall this Thursday, 
 August 20, at 4:30pm.\n\nThis is unconscionable. Despite preserving the 
 wages and benefits for drivers and staff since shelter‐in‐place began 
 in March, it is at this critical point that SFUSD has decided they will no 
 longer pay until the buses are rolling again. The chaos as members scramble 
 to maintain health care coverage for themselves and their family, and then 
 switch coverage back a few months later when they return to work, is 
 completely unnecessary and a preventable catastrophe.\n\nThe decision to 
 cut wages and benefits for school bus drivers will impact long‐time 
 workers, some who have been driving for the district for decades. This will 
 not only mean a loss of wages for the 260 workers, but will also stall the 
 required training and certification drivers go through to ensure we are the 
 safest mode of transport for children.\n\nOther major school districts in 
 the state have committed to maintaining health care and wages for their bus 
 drivers. Those districts are covering their transportation contracts until 
 students are safely phased back to in‐person. But here in San Francisco, 
 drivers are expected to wait with no wages and no health care until routes 
 start up in a few months.\n\nWe understand there is a budget crisis in San 
 Francisco. But we do not think it should be balanced on the backs of the 
 drivers and staff that have transported the youth of San Francisco for 50 
 years. Especially not over the expense of a few months to maintain the 
 fleet. And especially not with pledges from the City and the State to 
 ensure schools are funded for this upcoming year.\n\nThese layoffs mean 
 specially certificated drivers will be forced to look elsewhere for work 
 and not be available to return to work when in‐person schooling resumes. 
 The District has already given transportation contracts to Zum, a rideshare 
 company much like Uber and Lyft. The layoffs of certificated unionized 
 drivers will open the door for further utilizing of lower‐paid, 
 non‐unionized workers without the special safety training that current 
 bus drivers complete and keep up‐to‐date. This is another blow to the 
 proud union town of San Francisco.\n\nWho are the drivers, dispatchers and 
 staff facing this disaster? We are graduates, parents and grandparents of 
 graduates from SFUSD. We are immigrants. We are working families 
 representing the entire spread of diversity found in the Bay Area. We have 
 served the city of San Francisco for 50 years. And we do not think it too 
 much to ask that the city find a way to provide for us for a few months so 
 that we are able to return to the job that we are proud to do.\n\nWe hope 
 you will join us as we raise our voices to defend the school bus drivers of 
 this city.\nhttps://sfschoolbus.org\n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/17/18835959.php
SUMMARY:SMART Local 1741 School Bus Drivers Rally SF City Hall For Justice & Against Privatizatio
LOCATION:San Francisco City Hall\nPolk & McAllister\nSan Francisco
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/08/17/18835959.php
DTSTART:20200820T233000Z
DTEND:20200821T003000Z
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