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Victory!
The company gave its 2nd last best and final offer today. Finally, they moved somewhat in the direction of more work for our drivers. Working with the mayor's office and the school district seems to have helped Laidlaw broaden its' horizons. The Union ratified this proposal with over 85% of those voting to approve.
1. The Company shall guarantee that one-hundred and twenty (120) routes will receive a thirty-five (35) hour weekly pay guarantee or more only during the regular school year, not to include summer, holiday periods, or in-service weeks. Those routes will be determined and selected by the Company
2. There will be no "run-around" grievances filed as a result of any seniority violations of this provision.
3. In order to fulfill the guarantee, employees may, at the discretion of the Company, be required to perform office work, light yard work (cleaning the trash from the area in the immediate vicinity of the bus), and any duties related to school bus driving, to include cleaning, sweeping, and washing the buses. This shall not result in the displacement or replacement (including by attrition) of Staff or Yard personnel.
4. So that the work can be diverted to the "guaranteed" routes, extra work (except evening and weekend work) shall be assigned to the drivers on the guaranteed routes first, in order to provide those routes with thirty-five hours. Next, the drivers with six- hour routes shall have the opportunity to bid on this work. Except that, if Dispatch offers work to a driver and the driver informs Dispatch that they have met their guarantee, but for operational needs Dispatch still needs the driver to perform the work, the driver will accept the assignment.
5. Drivers must be available everyday during midday on the first pass and must leave a method of contact with Dispatch, i.e. pager, cell phone, etc.
6. Drivers can not refuse any work assigned. Drivers who are unable to do an assignment will have broken their thirty-five hour guarantee for that week.
7. In order to be qualified for this guarantee, a driver must be qualified on all equipment and the Company retains the right to change a driver's bus depending on the needs of the business.
8. Any unauthorized absence or preventable accident, will cause the driver lose his/her thirty-five hour guarantee for the week.
9. Drivers will be assigned work in a manner deemed appropriate by the Company.
10. If this language conflicts with any other language in the collective bargaining agreement, then this language shall supercede those provisions.
11. This proposal shall be effective with the beginning of the regular 2000-2001 school year.
12. Stand-by drivers shall continue to bid on routes with trips attached.
13. Drivers who accept a route with guaranteed hours shall not be allowed to bid off the route except and unless they are bidding onto a route with greater hours, or by mutual agreement between the Company and the Union.
14. Any decrease in the current service level from SFUSD by five percent (5%) or more, may alter the total number of "guaranteed" routes by the same percentage.
15. The above sections apply only to the thirty-five (35) hour guarantee.