SBF 70 years logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Q&A: Leaving Students Out in the Cold

Transportation for students at the nation’s second largest school district, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), was seriously hampered in ear...

April 1, 2002
3 min to read


Transportation for students at the nation’s second largest school district, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), was seriously hampered in early April when about 800 unionized drivers went on strike. Represented by Teamsters Union Local 572, the striking drivers work for Laidlaw Education Services and are responsible for 707 of the school district’s 2,220 total bus routes. Chanita Gardner, a Laidlaw school bus driver participating in the strike, described her view of the situation to SBF Plus. SBF Plus: What are your personal feelings about the strike? Gardner: I don’t totally fault Laidlaw for the situation that we are in. I also blame the school district. The company is telling us that the district is not paying them enough to pay us. If that is the problem, then Laidlaw needs to negotiate with LAUSD first. Once they solve that problem, they can come and solve the problem with the Teamsters. But they are negotiating so that is a good sign. We all want to go back to work. SBF Plus: What do you hope to gain from the strike? Gardner: I will be satisfied if the company can improve our benefits and pay rate. We just want to make close to what district drivers make. Working for a contract company, we know we are not going to get $25/hr or $20/hr. We just want to get close. The bottom line is that we are maxing out at $12.90/hr and district drivers are starting at $15/hr. Also, something definitely has to be done with the medical insurance. It has to be at a point where it is affordable. Laidlaw needs to pick up some of the cost. We’re not saying they have to pick up 100 percent of it, but they can make it reasonable. SBF Plus: How are the strikers supporting themselves financially? Gardner: Fortunately, I’m married. But I would say that 80 percent of our drivers are single parents, mostly single mothers. And a lot of them came from the gang program, or else Laidlaw brought them in off of the welfare system. We really need this job. There have been rumors that there is no strike fund to support us, but when we come to work every day, we’re not getting anything anyway. If your paycheck every two weeks is $600 and they are taking $300 out for medical, by the time you pay your daycare you’re not getting much. So to lose the $50 from the strike fund is not that much to lose. I would say there could be a problem with people dropping out, but the stronger force of us is going to be in it until the end. SBF Plus: How do you think this is affecting the kids? Gardner: We have kids out here with us today on the picket line, missing school. Laidlaw drivers don’t have the pleasure of picking kids up in Beverly Hills. We pick kids up in the ghetto. The news cameras need to go to the ghetto and see how many kids are standing around for two or three hours and waiting for a bus. Go see how many are stuck. That’s the part they’re not showing that they need to show.

Topics:Management
Subscribe to Our Newsletter

More Management

Graphic announcing Forest River Bus & Van’s 2025 Top Dealer awards alongside a plaque recognizing The Bus Center as a Top 4 Dealer of the Year for sales performance and customer service.
Managementby News/Media ReleaseMarch 10, 2026

The Bus Center Named a 2025 Top 4 Forest River Dealer

The Bus Center was named a Top 4 Dealer for Forest River Bus & Van for 2025, marking its second consecutive year receiving recognition from the manufacturer.

Read More →
Model 1 Commercial Vehicles facility in Elgin, Illinois with a lineup of commercial vans and shuttle buses parked outside the dealership and service center supporting fleet customers in the Chicago area.
Managementby News/Media ReleaseMarch 9, 2026

Model1 Opens New Illinois Location, Joins Sourcewell

The dealership's new Elgin location will serve commercial fleets across the Chicago area.

Read More →
a photo of a row of school buses parked and text boxes overlaid that read "two new district installs" with the transfinder logo
Managementby News/Media ReleaseMarch 6, 2026

Two Midwest Districts Turn to Transfinder

Two separate school districts in Illinois and Ohio have rolled out Transfinder's Routefinder and Tripfinder solutions, respectively.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
An orange, white, and red graphic with an image of buses lined up in white/red duotone and text reading "How GPS Helps Buses Stay On-Time."
ManagementMarch 6, 2026

How GPS Tracking Helps School Bus Fleets Improve On-Time Performance Without Adding Routes

Struggling with late buses? GPS data can help fleets cut delays, fix route bottlenecks, and improve on-time performance without adding routes.

Read More →
Black Zonar V4 telematics device shown on an orange background, a rectangular fleet telematics unit with status indicator lights and connection ports used in commercial vehicles to collect operational and emissions data.
Managementby News/Media ReleaseMarch 5, 2026

Zonar Becomes First CARB-Approved OEM Telematics Provider

Zonar received CARB certification allowing fleets with factory-installed V4 telematics devices to automatically submit emissions data for Clean Truck Check compliance.

Read More →
professional headshot of kris laseter against a gradient orange background, the pathwise logo, and text that says "leadership update"
Managementby News/Media ReleaseMarch 5, 2026

Pathwise Promotes Kris Laseter to President and COO

As the software company caps a year of record growth, the promotion recognizes Laseter's impact with doubled revenue and two large district partnerships.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
An orange and yellow graphic with an EverDriven logo and text reading "updated VIP App With Real-Time Student Transportation Tracking."
Managementby News/Media ReleaseMarch 4, 2026

EverDriven Updates VIP App With Real-Time Student Transportation Tracking

The redesigned app gives parents and school districts real-time trip tracking, multilingual access, and improved communication tools.

Read More →
A colorful graphic with 4 portraits and text reading "4 Women to Watch in School Transportation."
Managementby Elora HaynesMarch 4, 2026

4 Women Leading School Transportation Forward

Careers aren’t linear. Neither is progress. These women share what it really takes to lead in school transportation.

Read More →
Attendees visit the AMF Bruns vendor booth in the expo hall, examining a wheelchair securement device while speaking with an exhibitor about safety equipment.
Managementby Amanda HuggettMarch 3, 2026

Innovation & Inspiration in Burbank: CASTO 2026 Photo Highlights

Take a peek at key moments and top takeaways from the 58th California state transportation association’s annual conference, from session highlights, snapshots from vendors, and interactive activities.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Promo graphic for the 18th National Congress on School Transportation, featuring a conference audience background and text reading “May 4–6, 2029, St. Louis, Missouri,” alongside the NCST logo.
Managementby Staff and News ReportsMarch 3, 2026

NCST Announces 18th Congress Event Dates, New Committees

The National Congress on School Transportation moves to St. Louis in May 2029, convening delegates and industry representatives to discuss updated guidance.

Read More →