City Officials Blast Mayor Bloomberg’s Removal Of Employee Protection Provision From School Bus Contracts

NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) — Former Comptroller Bill Thompson blasted Mayor Bloomberg for removing employee protection provisions from the latest school bus contracts that are being sent out for bids.

“This is a misguided move on the part of the Mayor and the Department of Education,” he said at a press conference on Sunday afternoon.

WCBS 880′s Jim Smith was present in the Tweed Courthouse steps when Thompson made his remarks about a provision that requires drivers to be hired based on seniority regardless of which bus company wins the contract.

WCBS 880′s Jim Smith reports…

Thompson said that protecting experienced drivers helps to maintain continuity on school bus routes.

“It is about safety, they know the routes, they know how to deal with our children,” he said.

Mayor Bloomberg said that the courts have called the provisions illegal, but Public Advocate Bill De Blasio disagrees.

“There is no legal rationale for taking away these employee protection provisions,” he said.

The officials who gathered on Sunday, including New York City Councilman and Chair of the Education Committee Robert Jackson and New York City Comptroller John C. Liu called the tactic penny-wise and pound-foolish, and that it was mistake to risk a driver strike over the issue.

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