Bus drivers reject $, strike

A Mississippi school bus driver's strike shows how privatization of public services can also inject private disputes into government services. Several Mississippi school districts contracted with First District, an Ohio based private company to provide school bus drivers. The drivers in Hinds County represented by Teamsters local 891 went on strike yesterday. 54 of the 92 scheduled drivers reported to work on day one of the strike. Although still in the last year of the current labor agreement, the drivers in Hinds could strike because their agreement did not contain a no strike clause (OOPS). With a starting salary at $10.20 an hour, the drivers rejected the company's pre-strike proposal which would have provided 50¢ an hour retroactive to August 1, 30¢ more in February, and 50¢ in August 2010 ($11.50), 2011 ($12.00) and 2012 ($12.50).