UPDATE: School Is On For Thursday!

Update at 9:35 p.m.

The following is the email sent by the school district to parents and guardians regarding today's negotiations between the school bus drivers' union and Durham School Services:

An agreement has been reached between CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 and Durham School Services. These were difficult negotiations and we are very happy that a settlement has been reached so we can continue to safely deliver East Haven's children to school. To be clear, there will NOT be a strike tomorrow. The agreement preserves paid holidays for the bus drivers and the company has agreed to comply with Connecticut's paid sick time law.

Update at 8:45 p.m.

School will be in session tomorrow. Parents informed East Haven Patch that they have received calls informing them that classes will be held tomorrow as regularly scheduled.

East Haven Patch apologizes for the confusion of the conflicting reports.

Update at 8:36 p.m.

The town is now calling parents and guardians to confirm that there will be no school tomorrow due to the possibility of a school bus driver strike tomorrow.

At this time, there is still no word for the drivers union or the school bus company as to the status of negotiations. But as always, East Haven Patch will continue to provide updates as this story develops.

Update at 8:05 p.m.

There has been no official statement on the status of the contract negotiations between East Haven's school bus drivers' union SEIU Local 2001 and Durham School Services.

But parents are now reporting to East Haven Patch that their children, who are members of East Haven schools sports teams, have already been told by their coaches during this evening's practices that there will be no school tomorrow.

"My sons wrestling coach told him there was no school due to strike, and because of that they would have wrestling practice at 11am the next day. He was told this around 6ish," East Haven Patch reader Sharese Pelkey-Clark reported to via our Facebook page.

And frequent East Haven Patch contributor also reported a short time ago on Facebook that her daughter currently is "waiting for a text on sport-related transportation for tomorrow night's away girls bball game."

A call by East Haven Patch to SEIU Local 2001 staff representative Kevin Merick earlier this evening has not yet been returned. But Merick said this morning that the negotiations could go on until the late night hours tonight before a decision was made by the union to strike.

As we have reported since last week, East Haven Patch will continue to provide updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.

Update at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday

East Haven school bus drivers will hold a one-day strike tomorrow if an agreement between the drivers' union and bus company cannot be reached by the end of the day today, SEIU Local 2001 Staff Representative Kevin Merick told East Haven Patch this morning.

As first reported by East Haven Patch last week, union representatives and the school bus company, Durham School Services, are meeting with a federal mediator today at the American Legion Post 89 along Thompson Avenue in East Haven.

At the legion this morning, Merick confirmed that the negotiations — which are in a closed session — will be going forward throughout the day today. And they will continue until satisfactory progress is made or the two sides reach another stalemate.

When asked by East Haven Patch yesterday what the school district's plans were should the drivers strike, Superintendent of Schools Anthony Serio said Durham School Services told him they would "give me 48 hours notice" if the drivers planned to walk off the job.

Serio added that the Illinois-based bus company also told him that they "were confident an agreement would be reached" avoiding a strike.

East Haven Patch will continue to provide updates on this story as more information becomes available.

Update at 7:25 p.m. on Friday

Stephany Johnson, a director of marketing and communications for National Express Corporation — the United Kingdon-based company that owns and operates Durham School Services — responded to East Haven Patch's comment request regarding the potential for East Haven school bus drivers to strike if the federally mediated contract negotiation session Feb. 15 fails to bring the two sides closer together to a new agreement.

The following is the company's written statement, in full:

"Statements made containing alleged company positions/proposals are not factual. Durham recognizes and appreciates our employees’ commitments to transporting students to and from school safely. The company has been in negotiations, in good faith, with the union. They will be continuing the negotiations on February 15, with a federal mediator. We are working diligently and are optimistic that we will be able to reach an agreement, even in this challenging economy when we are seeing no increase from our customer."

East Haven Patch will continue to provide updates on this story as it develops.

Original Story (Thursday at 6:35 p.m.)

East Haven's school buses could soon find themselves without drivers if stalled contract negotiations between the drivers' union and the bus company that employs them continues to falter.

A "strong majority" of the East Haven school bus drivers voted Feb. 3 to authorize a strike if an agreement cannot be reached between the illinois-based Durham School Services and CSEA/SEIU Local 2001, the union that represents the drivers.

The two sides have been in contract negotiations since the beginning of the school year.

According to the union, however, driver concerns over bus safety — and alleged demands by Durham that workers give back holidays in exchange for new state-mandated sick days — have prevented an agreement from being reached.

Durham employs 51 drivers and monitors in the serve the East Haven School District.

Although East Haven Patch has been in contact with the union, the bus company did not immediately return a call this evening requesting comment for this story.

'Safety Concerns'

Local 2001 alleges that the state Department of Motor Vehicles and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration have "initiated independent investigations after drivers were forced to report numerous mechanical and safety problems being ignored by management for long periods of time."

"Inaction by Durham School Services, who is contracted with East Haven to transport public school children, has regularly generated safety concerns at the bus yard that continue to be an issue at negotiations," the union states in its release.

New State Law

In addition to the safety issues, the union also alleges that Durham School Services is "attempting to circumvent a new a state law."

According to Local 2001, the state of Connecticut now requires that school bus drivers accrue paid sick time, "the result of a bill co-sponsored by East Haven State Representative James Albis.

"While Durham School Services is legally obligated to give sick time to their employees, they are demanding that drivers pay for their new sick days by giving up all of their paid holidays this year.," the union states in its release, adding that the company is also seeking to "retroactively charge employees for paid 2012 holidays that have passed by deducting hours from their sick time accrual."

Strike Next Week?

Failure to find middle ground on these concerns apparently lead to the Feb.  3 vote by the drivers approving the option of going on strike if the negotiations between the two sides continue to remain at a stalemate.

"We've put up with this company cutting corners long enough," Brenda Barrett, an East Haven School District bus driver, states in the union's release. "If the state says we should have sick days, we should have sick days."

CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 and Durham School Services are set to continue at a federally mediated session scheduled for Feb. 15. And it is unclear at this time that if next week's session fails to bring the two sides closer together, if the drivers will then move to go on strike.

East Haven Patch will continue to provide updates to this story as it continues to develop.