The embattled school-bus drivers union called off its monthlong strike late yesterday after a series of setbacks and crumbling support from its rank and file, sources told The Post.
The decision to return drivers and matrons of Amalgamated Transit Union’s Local 1181 to yellow buses on Wednesday — following an abbreviated winter break — was presented by top union brass in a conference call with members.
The strike’s end was a significant win for Mayor Bloomberg, who took a big risk by displacing tens of thousands of schoolkids from buses to competitively bid out a portion of the city’s costly school-bus contracts for the first time in 33 years.
His refusal to even meet with the union after the Department of Education removed long-held job protections for school-bus workers left Local 1181 with few options.
There was also growing grumbling from drivers, matrons and mechanics, who said they were struggling to live on the union’s $300 weekly strike stipend since the action was launched Jan. 16.
“People are getting testy; they can’t pay their bills, they can’t work,” said John Jankowski, a 22-year veteran of Local 1181. “There are a lot of people who can’t make ends meet.”
Local 1181 was even shedding dozens of personnel to competing unions, former members told The Post.
“I switched unions to come back to work,” said Aida Ortiz, 41, a bus matron at Boro Wide Buses who recently joined Teamsters Local 854. “When you have a family, you have to think about your family.”
Sources said the union managed to finagle a face-saving letter late Thursday from Democratic mayoral hopefuls, who promised to consider job-security measures for school-bus workers in the next administration.
“We pledge . . . [to] take effective action to insure that the important job security, wages and benefits of your members are protected within the bidding process, while at the same time are fiscally responsible for taxpayers,” the letter reads.
It was signed by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Comptroller John Liu, former Comptroller Bill Thompson and former City Councilman Sal Albanese.
But a source close to the bus strike said the letter was organized by ATU’s international arm to put pressure on the local union to get members back to work.
“They [the international] solicited people to sign it,” the source said.Local 1181 President Michael Cordiello told his members, “This war is not over.”
The school-bus driver strike is over: Who won?
* The union loses on current round of bids (barring any lawsuits), because companies aren’t required to hire unions’ veteran drivers, matrons or mechanics.
* The city wins on current round of contracts for 1,100 routes, which were bid competitively for the first time in decades and eliminated job protections for bus workers.
* The union wins by having five mayoral candidates promise that as mayor they would revisit job protections for union workers next year. But, union will lose big if bus companies win their lawsuit seeking to remove job protections from contracts for the remaining 5,600 school-age routes
Additional reporting by Kate Kowsh and Dana Sauchelli