Strike authorization vote in East Providence leads to tentative contract

EAST PROVIDENCE — Teamsters Local 251 and Ocean State Transit reached a tentative agreement Tuesday night that, if ratified, will result in a contract for school bus drivers, monitors and aides in East Providence and Barrington.

If the agreement, reached with the help of Teamster negotiators, is ratified, the 105 East Providence drivers who voted to unionize in May and the 95 monitors and aides who did the same in December, will become union members. The same pay rates will apply to Barrington employees, who are in the process of organizing.

Last week, the East Providence employee groups voted to authorize a strike if necessary. "They were willing to strike to get a fair deal, and the company knew it,” said Charlene Gomes, a longtime driver for Ocean State Transit, which has become part of Student Transportation of America, the nation's second-largest school bus company.

A corporate spokeswoman for confirmed the tentative agreement and released a statement saying, in part, "We look forward to a vote by Local 251 drivers and monitors, as we continue to offer safe and reliable service to the children and families of East Providence Schools."

The company and Local 251 negotiated a contract in South Kingstown, and Coventry bus workers will be next.

A date for the East Providence ratification vote has not yet been set.

Matthew Taibi, a Local 251 officer, said the tentative agreement "recognizes the commitment the workers have to safely transporting our children every day." He said a few details still have to be worked out, but "we anticipate that the workers will ratify this recommended tentative agreement, averting a strike."

— dnaylor@providencejournal.com

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