Press Release for Thursday, July 14, 2022
Contact: Blanca Gallegos 213-500-9594

In preparation for the start of a new school year, bus drivers at the Los Angeles Unified School District overwhelmingly voted to approve an agreement with the school district to increase full-time work for LAUSD bus drivers. The district has been suffering from a severe shortage of bus drivers and the new agreement will begin to address the problem by offering 8-hour/day positions to all drivers. Previously, most drivers at LAUSD were limited to 6/hour work days.

According to the agreement, full-time work will be phased-in starting with the upcoming 2022-23 school year where 50% of drivers will be offered 40-hour work weeks. Next school year, 75% of drivers will be offered full time work and by the 2024-25 school year, 100% of LAUSD drivers will be offered full-time work.

The agreement also calls for LAUSD to work with SEIU Local 99, the union representing nearly 1000 district bus drivers, to establish a hiring process to recruit more eligible drivers.

“This is a major step forward toward creating a stable and consistent workforce of bus drivers to better serve our students,” said John Lewis, a Bus Driver with LAUSD and member of SEIU Local 99’s Executive Board. “We’re often the first LAUSD employees that students see in the early morning when we pick them up and the last ones they see when we drop them off at night. We’re essential and this agreement will provide stability for both students and drivers.”

“For too long, LAUSD has relied heavily on outside transportation companies to address the shortage of bus drivers. By investing in maintaining and building a base of district drivers, LAUSD will improve recruitment and retention and ensure greater safety, consistency and accountability,” said Max Arias, SEIU Local 99 Executive Director.

Read the full language of the agreement here.

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SEIU Local 99 represents nearly 50,000 education workers throughout Southern California, including nearly 30,000 school bus drivers, special education assistants, custodians, food service workers, teachers assistants and other essential workers at the Los Angeles Unified School District.