The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools bus driver strike will not happen. The news comes following negotiations between school transportation officials and drivers.
Last week, a group of school bus drivers led by organizer Kimberly Shouse made it known through media outlets that they would not report to work Friday unless their wages improved. In January of this year, following a 2020 compensation study, the minimum hourly salary was raised to $15.00, with the average wage among bus drivers in the district being $16.00
District spokesman Brent Campbell says the meeting on Wednesday with roughly 20 drivers was a chance for both sides to listen and learn.
"I think we determined that we have some internal processes that maybe need to change in making sure that they understand things that are available to them," says Campbell. "We found that a lot of times they didn't necessarily understand that there were certain bonuses available to them or certain incentives available to them or the ability to move to full time."
According to a school board plan approved earlier this month, drivers will receive various bonuses throughout the year. The district employs nearly 290 bus drivers transporting around 32,000 students to and from school each day.