School bus driver strike: no progress in negotiations

School bus driver strike: no progress in negotiations

As the school bus driver strike in the Outaouais hit the one week mark, negotiations between the bus operator and the union are still at a standstill.

In an interview this afternoon (May 8) Denis Ouellette, a representative with Teamsters Local 106, the union representing school bus drivers from the region, said that there has been nothing but radio silence from SOGESCO, the parent company of the local bus operators. In the Pontiac, the union represents 97 drivers with Autobus Lasalle.

Ouellette expressed sympathy for the parents who have to drive their children to school during the course of the strike.

CHIP 101.9 requested comment from SOGESCO’s public relations representative Mylène Forget, but have yet to receive a response. Forget issued a statement at the start of the strike, noting “The union’s current demands go well beyond the financial capacity of Autobus Lasalle Inc. due to contractual agreements currently in place.”

On Friday, the Western Quebec School Board issued a statement expressing their “deep frustration” at the break in transportation for more than 2,300 students at their schools throughout the Outaouais.

The full interview with Ouellette (8m30) is available here.