In this photo by Ken Stretcher, Bryan Neely is holding the JWJ sign,

Ms. Verlena Nedd is wearing the hat, Karim Shabazz is on the video, and

Chief Steward Elnora Brantly is holding the umbrella and being interviewed

by KRLD radio

 

This report comes from Kenneth Stretcher, an organizer for Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 100:

 

On 1/17/02 Dallas County Local 100 members, who operate school buses requested a meeting with Transportation Director Terry Penn to demand that :

1)                          Bumper stickers on the rear bumpers which encourage people to call in with complaints about the drivers be taken off. Drivers were being written up based on anonymous phone complaints when it was obvious the calls were coming from people playing pranks with cell phones and from vindictive ex-spouses.

2)                          Merit pay be given fairly. Dallas County makes a lump sum merit payment to the drivers at the end of the school year if the driver does not miss any days and manages to jump through all the other hoops Dallas County erects to prevent the drivers from getting the money they are entitled. In one instance, A driver was involved in an accident in her bus that was not her fault. She lost her merit pay because she took off to see a doctor.

3)                          A driver be put on the Safety Committee. After all; who knows more about bus safety issues, drivers or administrators and supervisors?

4)                          The brakes be fixed on the buses and the old buses should be fixed or replaced at the Pat Rainey lot.

 

            Also at issue is the fact that Dallas County built a new bus lot where over 300 drivers work out of and only provided 2 restroom stalls for 125 women and 1 restroom stall for 200 men. Many drivers are using diuretics, consequently, It is important to be able to urinate when needed. In contrast, there are 8 stalls for 30 office workers and administrators in the new administration building that soaked up year’s entire last budget.

            Terry Penn refused to meet. The members decided to picket.  It was decided to make the Dallas County School Board cross our picket line to get to their next board meeting. When he saw us, Penn came out fuming and raging. I don’t have to meet with people who are not employees, he said. Fortunately, ex-longtime TSEU/CWA organizer and friend of Local 100 Karim Shabazz was video taping for us.

            At a subsequent meeting with Dallas County Schools Superintendent Jimmy Williams we spelled out our issues and explained that his director, Terry Penn was in clear violation of state law that gives Texas Public Sector employees the right to present grievances, directly or through a representative. And we have him on video refusing to meet.  He promised to explain things to Penn and look into our issues. Also, he said, please come talk to me before you picket us. New Buses began arriving at the Pat Rainey Lot within two weeks.