Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Peterman Ltd. wins bidding for bus service

By KATHLEEN L. RADCLIFF

The Pickerington Local School District Board of Education voted unanimously on Monday to approve Cincinnati-based Peterman, Ltd. as the district's transportation services provider.

The district's contract with Laidlaw expires at the end of the school year and will end a decade-long working relationship between the bus company and the school district.

Peterman's $3.5 million, five-year proposal includes 55 new school buses and a $1.5 million commitment to build a transportation facility within the school district. Laidlaw offered a three-year proposal at $3.6 million.

Youngstown's Community Bus entered a $4.2 million proposal, including a transportation facility within the district. First Student dropped out of the bidding process a week ago.

Board member Jim Brink said one key reservation he has is that the district has a proposal, but does not have a contract.

''We need to know the bus facility will be built (somewhere) in the district where it will result in actual (fuel cost and maintenance) savings,'' he said.

Another item of concern to Brink is what happens in the contracts if the district goes to split sessions when they run out of portables.

''We're fast getting there,'' he said, estimating that space will run out for portable classrooms in 2008. At that time the district could see transportation costs increase from $250,000 to $1.2 million, he added.

''We pay one way, or we pay another way,'' Brink said.

School Board President Lori Sanders said the district looked at Peterman's track record in Groveport-Madison and in Lakota school district in Butler County in making a decision.

''Our job as a board is to look at the total picture and, in order to do that, we need more than one reference,'' Sanders said.

''We asked for a five-year proposal from Laidlaw and didn't get a response. There is such a thing where dollars are not significant,'' she said.

In other business, the upcoming bond issue campaign committee recently held its first meeting, board vice-president Lisa Reade said.

''We're off and running with over 60 people in attendance,'' Superintendent Robert Thiede said, adding the campaign committee is divided into six subcommittees, including a new subcommittee representing preschool programs.

The next two campaign committee meetings will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday and Tuesday at Harmon Middle School, 12410 Harmon Road.

''We will gladly accept any help from volunteers,'' Sanders said.

did they miss this one

Since it appears the board hate unions, they probably welcomed this....

SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS FILE LABOR COMPLAINT
Four say Groveport Madison contractor let them go because of organizing efforts
Published: Saturday, March 12, 2005
NEWS 05C
By Charlie Roduta
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Four former Groveport Madison school bus drivers filed an unfair-labor-practice complaint yesterday, accusing the transportation company the district uses of firing them for participating in union activities.

A complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board says officials of Cincinnati-based Petermann LLC threatened employees ''with job loss if they supported, joined or elected Teamsters Local No. 284 as their bargaining representative.''


Karen Barnette, along with her husband, Don, were among the former drivers who filed the complaint. She and her husband, who were fired in January, want their jobs back, back pay and money for unused personal and vacation days.

''We hope to get the money that they owe us and let the school district know what Petermann is capable of and is doing to the drivers,'' Barnette said.

Petermann Chief Operating Officer Mike Settle did not return calls for comment. Superintendent Timm Mackley did not respond to an e-mail request for the district's contract with Petermann.

Barnette said incomplete bus routes and questionable work and pay practices prompted bus drivers to seek union representation. On Thursday, bus drivers and mechanics will decide whether they want the Teamsters to represent them.

Johnathan Wentz, an attorney with Handelman & Kilroy, which represents the bus drivers, told the school board at its meeting Wednesday that the complaint would be filed.

''Teamster Local 284 is attempting to bring the benefits of a good union contract to the Petermann drivers and mechanics, and we are facing extremely stiff opposition from this employer,'' Wentz said. More than a dozen bus drivers attended the meeting, some wearing Teamsters T-shirts.

Wentz said company officials have passed out fliers and hung posters discouraging bus drivers from organizing. He said the company has also forced drivers to attend anti-union meetings on school property -- a claim board member Robert Paley said the district plans to review.

''(Petermann officials) are in their rights to hold meetings,'' Paley said. ''We want to make sure they campaign within legal boundaries and follow board policy.''

About 120 bus drivers and mechanics work for Petermann's Groveport Madison operations.

The district switched transportation services to Petermann last year because it cost less per route than Laidlaw Education Services, which had a contract with Groveport Madison for seven years. Groveport Madison has a three-year contract with Petermann.

croduta@dispatch.com



By probably not

Wait & see..........

I've heard the union's contract is up in 6 months in Pickerington - they unionized to get better benefits & from what I've heard their benefits are the same but now they all pay union dues.

Will be interesting to see what happens in Groveport.

Also heard the driver's that filed suit in Groveport were let go for safety violations. There's usually two sides to every story.

ThisWeek's version 1

PLSD to change bus service providers

Thursday, March 17, 2005

By MACKENZIE FRY
ThisWeek Staff Writer

The Pickerington Board of Education voted Monday to authorize Superintendent Robert Thiede to enter negotiations with Cincinnati-based Petermann Ltd. to provide the district's transportation services.

The contract would be for five years, beginning next school year.

The administration has two weeks from the passage of the motion to complete negotiations, and the board will vote on whether to approve the contract by no later than its April 11 meeting, according to board member Jim Brink.

The four companies from which the board had received bids included Laidlaw, which has provided the district's transportation services for the last decade. It is in the last year of its second consecutive five-year contract with the district.

Some board members said they had concerns with Laidlaw's proposal.

''We had asked for pricing for a five-year contract,'' Lisa Reade said. ''We did not get that from Laidlaw ... Why would they not submit another five-year contract?''

Laidlaw instead submitted a proposal for a three-year contract, she said.

Brink agreed with Reade.

''You would see (Laidlaw's) performance (and) you'd say, 'Well, why would you change?' And you wouldn't. Because I think that they've given us the service that we want,'' Brink said. ''So what explains their response?''

The other companies that submitted proposals were Youngstown's Community Bus Services Inc. and First Student, headquartered in Cincinnati; the latter company, however, withdrew its bid before the selection process was complete.

First Student was the lowest bidder, at $3.24-million for the first year of the contract and $9.99-million for three years, according to board member Gail Oakes. Yet Brink said the bid was so low that he had concerns ''about their ability to perform at that level.''

Petermann submitted a proposal of $3.48-million for the first year and $10.96-million for the first three years, Oakes said.

Laidlaw's offer was $3.61-million for the first year and $11.15-million for three years, she said, while Community Bus submitted a first-year proposal of $4.18-million, and a three-year figure that amounted to $12.99-million, she said.

Sanders, Reade and Brink said another reason they believe Petermann is the best choice is that the company included building a new transportation facility, within the district, in its proposal. The current facility is on state Route 310, outside the district. Brink said he would expect to see the new facility open and in use by the end of this fall, should the district enter into the contract with Petermann.