West Nipissing school bus strike issue makes its way to Queen’s Park

The Alouette Bus Lines school bus driver strike enters its sixth week on Monday with no end in sight. Drivers have been on the picket line at the corner of Coursol Road and Highway 17 in Sturgeon Falls since Feb. 23.

Stephanie Gunson, president of the United Steelworkers Local 2020, which represents the drivers, said members are holding out for the best possible deal.

“The community support is what’s keeping the morale so high,” Gunson said Friday afternoon.

On Thursday, Timiskaming-Cochrane NDP MPP John Vanthof raised the issue at Queen’s Park with Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra.

“Why do they have to be on the picket lines to get the ministry’s recommendation?” Vanthof asked, referring to the $24 pay recommendation set by the Ministry of Education.

Calandra replied that the province is not at the bargaining table.

Calandra concerned

“I am somewhat concerned at how long this has taken. I’ve expressed that frustration,” Calandra said.

About 80 drivers went on strike, but several days after it began, more a dozen decided to return to work.

Alouette drivers currently earn a little more than $18 an hour and want between $21-$22 per hour. That’s still under the Ministry of Education’s recommended pay level.

“We’re hoping that the province could intervene because part of the issue here is that there’s a funding that’s available for the school bus operators through the government,” Gunson said.

Alouette Bus Lines previously offered to increase wages by 15 per cent or $2.69 per hour, but that was rejected by the union.

Calandra added the issue is part of a much larger problem.

“There’s not a lot of people offering this service anymore,” he said.

“We’ve seen a dramatic reduction in the amount of companies offering bus services across the Province of Ontario … It is something that I’m going to look at.”

Remains hopeful

In a letter to parents and families from the Nipissing Parry Sound Student Transportation Services issued Friday, executive director Chuck Seguin said the consortium and the local school boards are not parties to the negotiations and are not involved in the bargaining process.

“The consortium has not issued a notice of contract termination to Alouette Bus Lines,” he said.

“We remain hopeful that the parties will reach an agreement soon and re-establish full service to our school communities.”

Nearly 2,000 students across the Nipissing-Parry Sound region are affected by the strike.

“They (the drivers) are also wondering if the employer is going to come back with some sort of an offer or want to have other talks,” Gunson said.

“So far, there hasn’t been anything.”

CTV News contacted Alouette Bus Lines to request an update on negotiations. But we did not hear back by deadline.