Durham School Services, the bus transportation company providing services to students for the Iowa City Community School District, might be heading to mediation after stalled negotiations with the union representing its drivers. 

After months of unsuccessful negotiations, Teamsters Local 238 representing local bus drivers has issued a statement that a strike may be imminent if federal mediation scheduled for November is as unsuccessful as recent negotiations have been. The Chief Operating Officer for the school district, David Dude, has issued a public statement that if a strike does occur and students are not transported to school by Durham buses, those striking drivers will not be paid. 

However, in the event that the strike does occur, says Durham, the district is prepared to work out alternate ways to get the students to school, including requesting that parents transport students and adjusting school schedules to allow them to do so.  Another option could be to cancel school until the strike is ended. 

Jesse Case, a business agent for Teamsters Local 238, issued the following statement concerning the situation: “Durham is a foreign-owned company based out of England and is looking to take additional tax dollars from the district not only out of the county but out of the country at the expense of local residents who provide a vital service to our community.”

In the meantime, Durham School Services has stated that it will work hard to resolve the situation with a deal that is deemed reasonable to all parties, and “one that balances the interests of our employees, our customers and our company.”