The Examiner U-46 News Feed

Dist. U-46 Board approves next transportation pact

By Seth Hancock
  The Board of Education in School District U-46 voted 6-0, board member Samreen Khan was absent, to approve of a three-year agreement with the District U-46 Transportation Union (DUTU) at its Aug. 19 meeting.
  The agreement will run from 2025 to 2028 and will take effect after the current agreement expires at the end of this school year. The agreement was approved by DUTU with 176 of 194 members voting in favor on Aug. 13.
  “The administration began bargaining in January of 2024 with the union representatives, and we bargained for roughly 80 hours over a six-month period reaching a tentative agreement on July 18th for a new three-year contract which will begin on July 1st, 2025,” said Ann Williams, deputy superintendent of operations.
  Williams added: “The proposed agreement offers a competitive compensation package for current staff as well as incentives to enhance recruitment efforts amidst the ongoing bus driver shortage.”
  The total cost increase for this agreement is $5 million, Williams said.
  The starting hourly pay has a set increase from 2025/2026 to 2026/2027 with 2027/2028 starting pay tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
  Starting hourly rates: drivers ($23.75 for 2025/2026; $25.21 for 2026/2027), route assistants ($17.75; $21.10), dispatcher/trainer/inspection compliance clerk/fleet assistant ($24.25; $26.71), mechanic/body mechanic ($28.75; $31.24), route/trip advisor ($25.25; $27.71), escort/custodian ($21.75; $23.21) and lead mechanic ($29.75; $32.24). Bus washer/fleet inspector starting rate is a flat $20 an hour throughout all three years.
  Pay raises for current staff are set rates in 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 with 2027/2028 tied to CPI.
  Pay raises: drivers ($4.50 in 2025/2026; $1.46 in 2026/2027), route assistants ($4.15; $3.35), dispatcher/trainer/inspection compliance clerk/fleet assistant ($4.42; $2.46), mechanic/body mechanic ($2.77; $2.49), route/trip advisor ($4.75; $3.46), escort/custodian ($4.63; $1.46) and lead mechanic ($3; $2.49). Bus washer/fleet inspectors receive a $1.76 hourly raise in 2025/2026 and no increases in the next two years.
  The contract also includes longevity hourly pay raises of $0.25 per hour four every five years of service capped at $1.25 after 25 years of service. Bus drivers providing services utilizing wheelchair accessible buses receive an additional $0.50 per hour.
  The contract also increases term life insurance for DUTU members from $30,000 to $40,000.
  Also throughout the contract, it removes gender specific language such as replacing “he/she” with “they” and “maternity leave” with “parental leave.”