Bus driver job action strands IPS students - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Thousands of Indianapolis Public Schools students were caught in the middle of a work dispute Friday afternoon.

School bus drivers walked out in a dispute, over unemployment benefits collected during the summer months. Some students were stranded at school while the school district scrambled to find alternate transportation and contacted parents to pick up their children.

IPS says at least 80 bus drivers were involved in the job action. In all, up to 12,000 student on 200 bus routes were affected. They arrived home anywhere from 20 minutes to two hours behind schedule.

The drivers work for Durham School Services, a private contractor that IPS employs. Scores of drivers gathered at Brookside Park on Friday, angry over having to repay unemployment benefits they received over the summer. State Workforce Development says they were ineligible for benefits and have to repay amounts varying from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.

Shortridge Magnet High School delayed dismissing students until administrators were certain that buses had arrived to take them home.

"It looks to me like the employees got hung out to dry on this issue," said Andrea Helm, AFSCME Council 62.

The drivers work for Durham Transportation, the company running half of IPS' bus routes. Drivers accustomed to receiving unemployment benefits during the summer break were stunned by letters from the state demanding that they pay back anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

The state claims that the bus drivers were ineligible for the benefits. But the union says the bus drivers don't have the money.

"They can barely afford to pay their bills at this point," said Grigitte Yancey, AFSCME Local 3827.

Indiana's Department of Workforce Development says a recently passed unemployment reform bill makes workers who are sent home because of normally scheduled shutdowns ineligible for unemployment benefits.

Union leaders, though, aren't sure who is to blame.

"The state is pointing to the company. The company is pointing back to the state," said Yancey, referring to Durham Transportation. "Nobody's giving us answers. The state wants the money back. Our contract states that the company has to pay the money. The company told us that they paid the money but we've yet to see that."

The union pleaded with drivers to go back to work and not leave thousands of children stranded at school.

"Everybody go back and make sure that you're at work on time, please," Yancey told the bus drivers.

Most - but not all - went back.

School officials stayed with the students at school until all of them returned home. Parents were allowed to pick up their children at school with proper identification.

IPS statement:

"The parents should be reassured that their student is safe. Parents and legal guardians can pick their child up at school, but must have a government-issued photo identification to do so. Otherwise, students will remain at their school until a bus is available to take them home. We ask that parents remain calm and patient as we work through this together."

Durham School Services statement on Indianapolis issue:

"State changes to unemployment benefits are the cause behind employee frustration. Durham has no control over determinations made by the State. We support our employees in obtaining unemployment benefits. It is unfortunate some bus drivers are not showing up for work and putting their interests ahead of the well]being of the students. We remain committed to the students of Indianapolis, and are working hard this afternoon with the School District to get all students home safely."