School Buses To Keep Rolling In Barrington, East Providence

BARRINGTON, RI — A looming strike that could have left more than 14,000 students in Barrington and East Providence stranded on their way to school appears to have been averted after Teamsters Local 251 and Ocean State Transit reached a tentative agreement on Wednesday. The membership of more than 200 drives and monitors had voted last week to authorize union negotiators to call a strike at anytime in objection to what they called low wages and unfair working conditions.

But the union said the threat of a strike spurred movement from Ocean State Transit, a subsidiary of Student Transportation of America, toward a deal after months of stalled negotiations and mediation.

"We believe this tentative agreement recognizes the commitment the workers have to safely transporting our children every day," said Local 251 Principal Officer Matthew Taibi said in a statement. "While we have a few minor details to work out, we anticipate that the workers will ratify this recommended tentative agreement, averting a strike. We appreciate the community support. We believe it was a big reason we were finally able to break through the last remaining issues and get a deal."

Taibi said a vote will be scheduled soon to ratify the deal.

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