
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, April 21, 1990                   TAG: 9004230186
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

SCHOOL-BUS DRIVERS' PAY SCALES NOT FAIR

WE ARE school-bus drivers for Franklin County involved in the situation being aired in the news media. Many have been driving six to 11 years and have not reached the sixth step on the pay scale, while others have driven only one or four years and are on step six. Some have driven six years and still are on step two.

We feel we have a legitimate complaint because of the disparity in the system. With a six-year step plan, if you have driven six years you should be on the sixth step. If you have driven four years, you should be on the fourth step. Don't put us off 11 years.

A neighboring county's starting pay is $30 a day or more. The starting pay for Franklin County is $20.50 per day. Some of us who have been driving six years are being paid $21 a day, the second step.

Some of the $21-per-day drivers are driving 156 miles a day, which takes approximately 5 1/2 hours for an average pay of $3.82 per hour. Some are being paid $38.08 for driving 40 miles, which takes one hour and 15 minutes per day, for an hourly wage of $30.46.

We are not blaming any of our managers or board members. We only want what is fair to each and every driver.

\ A. BROOKS\ S. SHIELDS\ R. CLINGENPEEL\ J. CLARK\ FRANKLIN COUNTY

by CNB