JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A spokesperson for Teamsters Local 512 shared late Friday night that the union along with Durham School Services have reached a work agreement averting a potential strike.
Some Duval County Public Schools students would have faced bus service impacts when school starts Monday had an agreement not been reached.
Duval County Public Schools sent a message to families earlier on Friday, warning that students in the Southside and Mandarin areas served by Durham School Services could be affected.
Strike authorization vote
Teamsters Local 512, which represents 275 Durham School Services school bus workers in Jacksonville, announced this week that its members voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if the company fails to negotiate what the union calls a fair collective bargaining agreement.
“Our members have spoken with one voice,” said Rebecca Cardona, president of Local 512. “This vote sends a clear message that our members will not stand by while the company attempts to strip away the wages, benefits, and workplace protections that generations of workers fought to achieve. Our members deserve respect, and they deserve a contract that recognizes the vital work they perform each and every day.”
The union said it had been negotiating with Durham for weeks and claims the company “has proposed sweeping concessions that would undermine the rights, protections, and standards established through decades of collective bargaining.”
Duval County students are set to return to class Monday, Aug. 10.