Trudy Thompson

Chair, Chignecto-Central Regional School Board

60 Lorne Street Truro, NS B2N 3K3

Dear Ms. Thompson:

We are writing to voice our dismay and disappointment with the position taken by you and apparently your Board regarding the call or push for the use of replacement workers to carry out the job duties of the school bus drivers who have been forced to take strike action against their employer Laidlaw, in an effort to gain a fair collective agreement.

We fully support the position of Local 6551 of the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) on this matter as reflected in the media today where they speak from a position of concern of safety and we firmly believe attention should be paid to the concerns raised.

You initially state that “the Board has been reluctant to intervene in negotiations between Laidlaw and their striking drivers” and then you promote a measure that places you in the centre of the dispute; a measure that undermines the rights of these drivers and one that will only exasperate any efforts to find a resolve to the dispute.

It would seem that there are many other options at your discretion rather than serving notice on the employer, of their responsibility to provide bussing, “…. that if it was unable to do so by resolving differences with its striking employees, then it was obligated to do so by bringing in replacement bus drivers.”

Could you not have considered a more positive approach to help find a solution to this dispute, suggestions that would not agitate this matter further as the proposed use of replacement workers is surely to do.

Having said this, if nothing else, your proposal to use replacement workers has brought about one agreement between the employer and the union -- they both think it is a terrible idea.

As part of your efforts to push your proposal forward, you state this matter between the employer and the school board is now destined to go to arbitration for final resolve.

This will no doubt prove to be a fairly costly venture for both parties, the school board and Laidlaw, to arbitrate a matter that will do nothing to resolve the dispute and in all likelihood will inflame the issue. It seems the money would be better spent at the bargaining table finding the resolve.

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If you feel that strongly that Laidlaw is in violation of their contract with you, then perhaps the issue you could/should be looking at is dissolving the contract and providing the bus service yourself by employing the bus drivers directly as you are currently doing through the rest of the school board region.

This seems to be a reasonable and responsible move, for after all the Board is the one that hired the private firm to provide the bussing service.

I am certain you must (or should) be aware that some of our longest and most bitter disputes in this province have been over the use of scabs/replacement workers, and we are fearful that is where you may be pushing this matter.

You are providing yet another clear example of why we so desperately need anti-scab legislation and protection in Nova Scotia; it levels the collective bargaining process, ensures more negotiated resolves and shorter strikes and prevents “interested third parties” starting or pushing something that can lead to long and bitter disputes.

We firmly believe there to be many other more positive and concrete options available and we would urge that you and your board reconsider this chosen direction and look creatively for a means to aid in finding a resolve that will be fair, rather than pursue a path that will do nothing to resolve this dispute but rather it will likely lead to a much longer and bitter strike that continues the disruption you state you are hoping to address.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this matter or if we may be of any assistance please feel free to contact us at any time.

Yours truly,

RICK CLARKE

President

RC/jw/CAW Local 4005