Bus driver walkout throws spotlight on change in unemployment la - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

All school bus drivers for Indianapolis Public Schools returned to work Monday, getting students to school and home again on time.

It was an improvement from Friday, when about 80 bus drivers working for Durham School Services refused to pick children up after school and take them home. Their job action impacted more than 12,000 students and their parents. Some of those students stayed at school up to two hours later than normal until their parents, or other buses, could pick them up.

Indianapolis Public Schools and Durham put together a back-up plan over the weekend, but did not have to use it Monday.

A new Indiana law on who's eligible for unemployment is what led to those thousands of children getting home late. Eyewitness News dug deeper into the new law.

The buses at IPS ran on time Monday, much to the relief of the school district and parents. Drivers for Durham School Services, a contracted bus service, stranded around 12,000 students last Friday when they didn't show up for some 200 afternoon routes.

"I just think it's a shame the unions chose to leave people stranded at the end of the school day," said Rep. Jerry Torr (R-Carmel).

Rep. Torr says the change in state law that triggered the no-show was actually passed in 2011 but went into effect in July.

"We had to fill that $2 billion gap so we were trying to look at what was fair and what wasn't. Why should one type be treated differently than others? For instance, school teachers have a start date and they are not eligible for unemployment unless they get a pink slip and are told they are not returning, so why should a bus driver be any different? They have a break planned, vacation, whatever you want to call it," he said.

Lawmakers argue unemployment is for temporary unplanned unemployment, but a variety of industries like auto manufacturing and construction were using it as a work subsidy.

The Department of Workforce Development issued this statement. "Workers on a regularly scheduled vacation are not eligible for unemployment insurance benefits. DWD must rely on employers to accurately report information."

"The question should be whether you are unemployed through any fault of your own," said Nancy Guyott, Indiana AFL-CIO. "If you wake up ready to go to work but your boss doesn't have any work for you than you should get benefits."

"They don't decide when the job is finished. When they are out of work they come back to us and we send them back out to work as soon as work comes in," said Ward Daniels, Laborers Local 120.

Daniels admits the effects of the new law won't be felt in the construction industry until this winter.

"My members don't expect unemployment. They want to be working. They are not here for unemployment. They are here to work a construction job," said Daniels.