School bus drivers seeking a raise
by Jenny Hurwitz - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

Claiming that their pay still lingers below a competitive standard, bus drivers and attendants with the Jefferson Parish public school system are seeking a salary increase, even as the district faces impending budget woes and a probable shortfall in revenue.

The pay proposal, presented to board members at a committee meeting this week, seeks to boost those at the bottom of the scale by enacting a 5 percent raise for drivers earning less than $40,000 annually in base pay and mileage. It also requests a 5 percent raise for attendants, who monitor activity on the bus and help students get on and off safely.

"The goal at the end of the day is to make these positions more attractive and stable," said Helene O'Brien, president of the local Service Employees International Union, which includes bus drivers. "We're not looking to raise the whole scale. But I think the overwhelming majority makes a small amount of money."

In addition to the raise, the proposal seeks an annual $500 subsidy for insurance costs, as well as up to $2,500 in incentives for all drivers who are beginning the process of buying a bus.

Under the proposed plan, an entry-level bus driver's annual salary would go from $20,062 to $21,651. A bus attendant who works up to 19 hours a week would see a yearly salary jump from $9,991 to $10,491.