Teamsters Local 251 approve strike authorization vote
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PROVIDENCE (WLNE)- East Providence school bus workers are not ruling out a strike as they pursue negotiations with Ocean State Transit.
Teamsters Local 251 “overwhelmingly approved” a strike authorization vote Monday night, according to union representative Nick Williams.
“Nobody wants it,” said Williams of a possible strike. “I have four kids in East Providence schools, my friends and family are here.”
Williams said a strike would be a last-resort tactic as the union pursues what it has described as unfair labor practices by Ocean State Transit.
“This won’t be another Providence,” Williams said, referring to the 2018 city-wide school bus strike.
A statement from Local 251 claims the company is under investigation for violations of Rhode Island’s paid sick-leave law, along with not complying with occupational safety and fire-code ordinances.
The union will be staging an informational picket outside of the East Providence School Committee meeting Tuesday night.
©WLNE/ABC 6 2020
