School Bus Drivers Walk Off Job in Boston

Link: New York Times: School Bus Drivers Walk Off Job in Boston

Category: Children, Community, Safety, School

Level: National

Concerning: A problem/issues that individuals/families face.

Why is this important/how does this affect individuals/families? This issue is important because it greatly affects thousands students attending school in Boston in a negative way. It also has a strong impact on these student’s families because they are now faced with the unexpected problem of getting their children to school as well as worrying about their safety.

My Views: I think the Boston school bus drivers’ going on strike is extremely irresponsible and unprofessional. I completely understand if they are not 100% satisfied with their jobs and contracts, but that does not justify them leaving thousands of children stranded at bus stops across Boston. The negligent actions of the bus drivers caused a lot of stress and anxiety for the students as well as their families. One of the student’s mothers that was interviewed in the story explained how the strike had a terrible impact on her autistic son. She said that her son was “messed up the rest of the day because of this”. I’m sure her son was just one of many with special needs that faced struggles due to the strike. In addition, many parents are greatly dependent on the school bus system and they trust the bus drivers to get their children safely to school. Now, working parents are struggling to make time to take their children to school. The fact that the drivers went on strike without warning parents is unethical and selfish in my opinion. The bus drivers obviously only had their own interest in mind and a complete disregard to the innocent students and families they were affecting. The students and their parents have no control over the school bus driver’s contracts, so why are they being punished?