Boston schools prepare for 2nd day of bus strike amid uncertainty over drivers' return

Boston school busses sit idle behind a chain link fence at Veolia Transportation, the city's school bus contractor, in Boston, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013. About 600 school bus drivers have gone on strike affecting most of the school district's 33,000 students. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia) (The Associated Press)

prev next

School children arrive in a Boston police van at the William Blackstone Elementary school after school bus drivers went on strike Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013. The city scrambled to find any way to get students to class after about 600 of the 700 drivers who work for the city’s bus contractor unexpectedly went on strike, affecting about 33,000 students. (AP Photo/Boston Herald, Mark Garfinkel) MANDATORY CREDIT (The Associated Press)

BOSTON – Boston is preparing for a second day without union school bus drivers who walked off the job.

The drivers, who walked out Tuesday, say the city contractor they work for hasn't been honoring their labor contract.

The drivers' union, the United Steelworkers, says the walkout isn't authorized and has ordered the drivers back to work.

About 33,000 students were affected Tuesday. Many got rides with parents, police officers or free trips on Boston's public transportation system.

Mayor Tom Menino says parents should prepare for another day without buses on Wednesday. He said schools will be open an hour early so children can be safely dropped off before school.

The bus service company sought a restraining order to end the strike Tuesday. But a federal judge said it was too early to take such action since the union's leadership is trying to end the walkout.