Coachella Valley Unified's transportation department to file unfair labor practices
The union that represents Coachella Valley Unified School District's transportation department is expected to file unfair labor practices and grievances against the district "for some of the most egregious things I've ever seen in my 30 years of education," said Dale Wissman, a labor relations representative for California School Employees Association.
Several bus drivers and mechanics spoke at Thursday's CVUSD board meeting to address issues they said they've faced under the leadership of CVUSD's director of transportation, Steve Everson.
"85% of the (transportation) department signed (a vote of no confidence) in three hours, clearly and legibly putting their name on a piece of paper because of how bad it got out there," Wissman said. "The department is not functioning. It's difficult to get parts. 56 buses were down ... I don't even know (what) to say about my experience with Mr. Everson, except to say that when you get our piece of litigation in front of the Public Employment Relations Board, you can read it for yourself — including the cease and desist letter we sent."
Wissman said that Everson has made attempts to reach out to CSEA's state president to remove the site leaders. "We're asking that the district investigate these serious allegations," he said.
Sergio Duran, a district mechanic with nearly 30 years of service, said the transportation department needs new tools to ensure they can get their job done as "efficiently and as safely as possible," he said. "We can't continue to sustain the level of buses that we need if we're not given the proper tools, the proper equipment and the proper parts." (Another mechanic made a point about the need for higher-quality tools by bringing in a broken set, emphasizing its inadequacy for installing springs twice as thick.)
Duran went on to share that a Collins bus — which had been taken out of service by the former transportation director — was reinstated after being outsourced to a for-profit contractor without prior union negotiations. That same school bus was originally removed from service two years ago as it would "automatically stop and shut off, wherever they were at," said Veronica Dueñas, a CSEA representative at CVUSD.
"Well, guess what happened on March 14 on (the driver's) routes? She was driving the bus with students on board and the bus automatically shut off. The brakes failed on the bus," Dueñas said. "She was coming to an intersection with an oncoming semi towards her ... She's still going, she can no longer control the bus."
While the driver skillfully maneuvered the bus despite brake failure, the bus, Dueñas said, ended up alongside the semi-truck eastbound on Harrison Street.
"The reason why I'm telling you this story is (because) when somebody says, 'Oh, the mechanics are lazy. Oh, mechanics aren't doing something. Oh, the mechanics are just complaining,'" she said. "No, there are serious, serious issues out there ... Imagine the headline of a bus colliding head-on with the semi due to brake failure with students on board. And my driver is now out having to live with that trauma."
CSEA is currently in contract negotiations, including dental and vision benefits, with the district, which is set to expire on June 30, 2024.
"We've been ... kind of updating things that we can do within the confines of the budget," Wissman said, "and we're looking forward to a successful round of negotiations for your nearly 1,200 classified employees."
Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: CVUSD's transportation department to file unfair labor practices
