New York City school bus drivers will go on strike beginning Wednesday, their union announced this afternoon, and 152,000 young riders will be required to get to school without them. Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union is pushing for job protections for veteran drivers, while the city is arguing that a 2011 case ruled such protections illegal. “We don’t want to go on strike — a strike doesn’t help anybody,” a driver told the New York Post. “But we don’t have a choice, because if we don’t strike on this issue, we don’t have a job.” Earlier today, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said, “If there is a strike, it’s a strike against our students.” The city will provide MetroCards and reimbursement to those affected; the rest of us should at least get free headphones.
