City Turned Down Offer from Union That Could Have Ended Bus Strike: Report

The city has turned down an offer from union Local 1181 that could have ended the citywide school bus strike, NY 1 reported.

The bus drivers union had asked Mayor Michael Bloomberg to delay the bidding process for new contracts to allow time to negotiate, but the mayor turned down the proposal, according to NY 1.

The drivers would have been able to go back to work while those negotiations were held.

Local 1181 has scheduled a news conference later today to address the current state of the strike, NY 1 reported.

Last week, the National Labor Relations Board heard arguments from bus company owners to determine the legality of the strike, which is in its third week.

As many as 150,000 school children have been affected by the strike.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the new contracts would save the city more than $95 million over a period of five years and that requiring private contractors to hire the current drivers is barred by a 2011 ruling that determined it would violate the city’s competitive bidding laws.

The union has argued that the 2011 ruling was flawed and accused the mayor’s office of not putting adequate time into negotiations.