The resolution that was thought to have been reached at Greenville Public School District’s regular board meeting over a week ago regarding grievances made by 14 of its bus drivers could potentially be put on pause or stopped altogether.
What the drivers deemed a “pathway of least resistance” to get what they believed was their just due could come with unforeseen consequences.
During a special-called meeting on Thursday, board Attorney Dorian Turner addressed the “staff work days 2021-2022” agenda item as she had advised the board to take it up during the meeting after listening to the drivers’ protests and comments to the board about working conditions, “particularly in regards to the vote the board made in March to cut five days from the work calendar for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year,” she said.
Turner shared with the board that she later received a text from a Jackson-area superintendent who had seen news of the GPSD bus drivers having gone on strike in the Clarion-Ledger.
“So, I’ve had several follow-up conversations with Dr. Dace to try and get an idea of what’s going on and my general understanding is that up to 14 out of the 20 bus drivers of the district did not come to work in protest. And looking at the background, it seems to me that what she said was they sent texts or made a call to the transportation director stating that they weren’t coming to work,” she told the board. “Given the articles in the newspaper and the interviews expressed by some of the employees in the newspaper, it looked to me like a strike.”
Turner provided board members copies of two statues that deal with public employees as it pertains to their participation in strikes.
“There is one statute that specifically deals with teachers and it makes it illegal for teachers to go on strike and it spells out some actions that the board is supposed to take in that instance and there’s another statute that makes that statute, with regard to teachers, applicable to all public employees and employers,” she explained.
At that point, Turner advised superintendent Dr. Dace and board president Jan Vaughn that the situation appeared to be one in which GPSD’s bus drivers had gone on strike and as Turner noted, activity that was illegal under such statute adding, “The board should consider undoing the restoration of those five days agreed upon and put it back on the agenda for reconsideration.”
Vaughn said what she recalled hearing from the bus drivers was an issue with their hours and not being paid.
“I thought a strike was when people just didn’t show up for work and they did some form of picketing or something like that, but from my understanding, they called in or texted the transportation director,” she said, adding that her understanding was transportation director Carlos Thompson okayed the absences.
Dace said in that particular instance, it was 15 drivers and Thompson was concerned and immediately notified Dace there was a problem.
However, in normal instances, drivers are not typically asked if they have the days or the leave time and are granted approval to use them.
“His concern was that he was getting 15 calls and texts from those drivers who chose not to come to work that particular day,” Dace said.
Dace informed the board of GPSD’s policy regarding strikes, which states, “A strike is a concerted failure to report for duty; a willful absence from one’s position; the stoppage of work; a deliberate slowing down of work, or the withholding in whole or in part of the full faithful and proper performance of the duties of employment for the purpose of inducing or influencing, or coercing a change in the conditions, compensation, rights, privileges or obligations of public employment provided, however, that nothing here-in as shall limit or impair the right of any certificate teacher to express or communicate a complaint or opinion on any matter related to the conditions of employment so long as the same is not designed and does not interfere with the full, faithful and proper performance of the duties of employment.”
Vaughn responded, “I’m thinking about the repercussions and actions because they are very serious, so, I want to be sure that we as a board are doing the right thing on this.”
Board trustee Doris Thompson agreed adding, “I also think that we’ve got to listen to our attorney and she is defining for us what this looks like, so I think we need to pay attention to what our attorney is telling us so that we won’t make any errors when making decisions concerning this.”
Turner said having researched both of the statutes highlighted regarding strikes, there is no case from the Mississippi Supreme Court nor any attorney general opinions that would be helpful to the extent of providing the board “very strict and coherent guidance,” which is somewhat of an issue.
“But I do think it’s incumbent upon the board to look at the greater context,” she said, referring to newspaper articles that quoted the bus drivers.
Board trustee Antoinette Williams said she thought the best thing right now was to table the matter until the board received all the facts and made a motion as such.
Trustee Oliver Johnson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
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GPSD board reexamines policies on bus drivers' strike - Delta Democrat Times
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