School bus drivers, mechanics and technicians employed by Naperville District 203 will receive an immediate hourly pay increase and a one-time $1,000 bonus payment under a newly ratified five-year contract.
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School board members Monday unanimously approved the agreement with the Naperville Transportation Association. The deal is retroactive to July 1, 2021, and runs through June 2026.
“Our NTA team worked diligently to bring wages and satisfaction items up to pace with other surrounding districts,” union President Mark Hanson said in a statement.
“In the end, Naperville 203 and NTA members know there is a huge shortage of bus drivers and it is imperative that we keep Naperville 203 competitive in attracting excellent and loyal drivers who will continue to responsibly drive students to and from school and events safely and securely.”
It is the third union contract District 203 has settled this school year. The others were with the teachers union, completed in September, and with the support staff union, approved in December.
Like the other two contracts, Naperville Transportation Association members will receive a $1,000 bonus. The district has 106 bus drivers, four mechanics and one technician.
Pay increases will range from $1.50 to $3 per hour for current employees this school year, according to the contract language.
The contract also includes a provision through which newly hired drivers and mechanics can begin at the second step of the salary schedule rather than the entry-level step.
Each step includes an hourly pay increase for each year of the contract. Starting hourly pay for bus drivers will increase from $17.41 to $20.67. Mechanics starting pay is $29.10 per hour and technicians start at $27.35, according to the contract.
“On behalf of the administration, I want to thank all of the members of our transportation team for everything you do,” Superintendent Dan Bridges said Monday. “It’s been a challenging, difficult year and you’ve done all you can as a membership to make sure our kids get safely to and from school.”
School board President Kristin Fitzgerald said because the bus drivers and mechanics are now among the highest paid locally, the district should be able to attract and retain transportation employees despite the shortage.
“We’re so pleased to have reached this agreement with NTA, that both fairly compensates our current employees, who work so hard for us on a daily basis, and provides Naperville 203 with the ability to offer a competitive starting wage,” she said.