The two-week-old strike by New York City school bus drivers will continue, as the city rejected the union’s proposal for a \u201ccooling-off period\u201d during which the drivers would return to work and the city would stop seeking bids for a new bus contract.<\/p>\n
The strike has disproportionately affected students with special needs.\u00a0 Only 152,000 of New York’s more than 1.1 million school children ride the school system’s yellow buses, but 54,000 of them are students with special needs, many of whom use wheelchairs.<\/p>\n
The cost of busing students has risen to $1.1 billion, and the city says it must take competitive bids.\u00a0 The Amalgamated Transit Union wants protections for current workers.<\/p>\n
Many special needs students rely on the yellow buses to take them to school.\u00a0 During the strike, only two-thirds of special needs students have been able to attend school, by riding public transportation or being driven by family members or caretakers.\u00a0 The city (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The two-week-old strike by New York City school bus drivers will continue, as the city rejected the union’s proposal for a \u201ccooling-off period\u201d during which the drivers would return to work and the city would stop seeking bids for a…<\/span><\/p>\n