Mat-Su bus worker strike drags on after latest talks end without a deal

What you need to know:

• Mat-Su school bus workers will remain on strike through at least April 10 after recent virtual negotiations between the union and the bus company failed to produce a deal.
• The strike, which began March 2 after a contract expired, centers on issues including compensation, driver training and who pays for certain health screenings.
• About 18,000 students are affected, with absenteeism rising across the district and reaching as high as 8% in some outlying areas, including Houston and Big Lake.

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PALMER — Mat-Su school bus workers will remain on strike until at least next Friday after a pair of negotiation sessions over two days this week did not result in a settlement, union officials said.

Bargaining committees representing Teamsters Local 959 and Durham School Services met virtually Wednesday and Thursday, union officials said.

The meetings brought some progress toward a new contract agreement, but no final deal was reached, said Patrick Fitzgerald, a Teamsters spokesperson. Durham representatives agreed to meet again late next week, he said.

“Progress can only be made if both sides make themselves available to do the hard work,” Fitzgerald said in a statement.

Officials with Durham School Services said the sides have made "good progress" during the meetings.

"Both parties are working toward a resolution that ends the strike and gets our drivers back to work," Durham spokesman Edward Flavin said in a statement.

The strike started March 2. A contract between Durham and the workers expired in early February.

Durham and union officials said the negotiations focus on a range of contentious topics, including driver training requirements, compensation issues, and whether employees must cover the costs of additional health screenings required by Durham but not by state rules.

The ongoing strike leaves about 18,000 Mat-Su students without reliable transportation to and from school, Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District officials said last month.

Student absenteeism has increased an average of about 2.2% across the region compared with the same dates last year, district spokesman John Notestine said in an interview Thursday.

But that rate is much higher in areas on the edges of the core region, including Houston and Big Lake, where absenteeism has reached as high as 8% on some days of the strike, he said.

-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com

This story was updated April 2 to include a statement from Durham School Services officials.