Bus Drivers Give Reasons Behind Lawsuit Against WCS
September 2, 2017 at 12:33 a.m.
Several bus drivers involved in a lawsuit against Warsaw Community Schools said they made numerous efforts to have the school address the pay issue before filing a lawsuit.
David Williams filed a lawsuit in federal court in April, claiming WCS required bus drivers to perform work for the school corporation without compensation.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of former and active bus drivers for WCS, but has not been certified as a class-action lawsuit yet.
In addition to the school corporation, Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert, Chief Financial Officer Brandon Penrod, Human Resources Director Jeanine Corson and former Transportation Director Cheryl Cook are named as defendants.
Williams, a bus driver, said they originally wanted to retain a lawyer in order to take their grievances to the school board.
He said he and other drivers were not paid for work they did, such as pre-trip and post-trip inspections or waiting for students.
Williams said that with 10 to 20 people who have come on board with the lawsuit, they estimate the lost back wages at $70,000 over three years.
“That amounts to $22,000 a year. We’re not talking about a lot of money,” he said.
Bus driver Larry Walls said they didn’t file the lawsuit to get rich or break the school.
“We just want to be treated fairly,” he said. Walls added that as a taxpayer he is worried that the longer the school drags it out, the more money the school could end up paying.
If it becomes a class-action lawsuit, all of the bus drivers would be included whether they signed on to it or not.
“We don’t want to take it to class action, but we will do what is necessary,” Walls said.
Bus drivers at WCS do not clock in or out in the traditional sense. Instead, they use handwritten forms to log their time.
Hoffert said pay is different depending on whether a driver is taking kids to school or on a field trip.
Randy Hesser, WCS attorney, said drivers are paid a “trip minimum” that would cover their pre-trip and post-trip inspections.
Hesser said the school has an obligation to the taxpayers to make sure there really was unpaid labor.
“They (WCS) have spent an enormous amount of time of trying to reconstruct these claims,” he said. “It’s a process and it takes time.”
Hesser said there were incomplete records on both sides.
WCS does have an extra time form for drivers to fill out if they have to do work not included in their route.
Mardelle Menzie, a 14-year bus driver, said there were massive inconsistencies in what hours would be approved and what would not.
Several bus drivers involved in a lawsuit against Warsaw Community Schools said they made numerous efforts to have the school address the pay issue before filing a lawsuit.
David Williams filed a lawsuit in federal court in April, claiming WCS required bus drivers to perform work for the school corporation without compensation.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of former and active bus drivers for WCS, but has not been certified as a class-action lawsuit yet.
In addition to the school corporation, Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert, Chief Financial Officer Brandon Penrod, Human Resources Director Jeanine Corson and former Transportation Director Cheryl Cook are named as defendants.
Williams, a bus driver, said they originally wanted to retain a lawyer in order to take their grievances to the school board.
He said he and other drivers were not paid for work they did, such as pre-trip and post-trip inspections or waiting for students.
Williams said that with 10 to 20 people who have come on board with the lawsuit, they estimate the lost back wages at $70,000 over three years.
“That amounts to $22,000 a year. We’re not talking about a lot of money,” he said.
Bus driver Larry Walls said they didn’t file the lawsuit to get rich or break the school.
“We just want to be treated fairly,” he said. Walls added that as a taxpayer he is worried that the longer the school drags it out, the more money the school could end up paying.
If it becomes a class-action lawsuit, all of the bus drivers would be included whether they signed on to it or not.
“We don’t want to take it to class action, but we will do what is necessary,” Walls said.
Bus drivers at WCS do not clock in or out in the traditional sense. Instead, they use handwritten forms to log their time.
Hoffert said pay is different depending on whether a driver is taking kids to school or on a field trip.
Randy Hesser, WCS attorney, said drivers are paid a “trip minimum” that would cover their pre-trip and post-trip inspections.
Hesser said the school has an obligation to the taxpayers to make sure there really was unpaid labor.
“They (WCS) have spent an enormous amount of time of trying to reconstruct these claims,” he said. “It’s a process and it takes time.”
Hesser said there were incomplete records on both sides.
WCS does have an extra time form for drivers to fill out if they have to do work not included in their route.
Mardelle Menzie, a 14-year bus driver, said there were massive inconsistencies in what hours would be approved and what would not.
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Several bus drivers involved in a lawsuit against Warsaw Community Schools said they made numerous efforts to have the school address the pay issue before filing a lawsuit.
David Williams filed a lawsuit in federal court in April, claiming WCS required bus drivers to perform work for the school corporation without compensation.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of former and active bus drivers for WCS, but has not been certified as a class-action lawsuit yet.
In addition to the school corporation, Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert, Chief Financial Officer Brandon Penrod, Human Resources Director Jeanine Corson and former Transportation Director Cheryl Cook are named as defendants.
Williams, a bus driver, said they originally wanted to retain a lawyer in order to take their grievances to the school board.
He said he and other drivers were not paid for work they did, such as pre-trip and post-trip inspections or waiting for students.
Williams said that with 10 to 20 people who have come on board with the lawsuit, they estimate the lost back wages at $70,000 over three years.
“That amounts to $22,000 a year. We’re not talking about a lot of money,” he said.
Bus driver Larry Walls said they didn’t file the lawsuit to get rich or break the school.
“We just want to be treated fairly,” he said. Walls added that as a taxpayer he is worried that the longer the school drags it out, the more money the school could end up paying.
If it becomes a class-action lawsuit, all of the bus drivers would be included whether they signed on to it or not.
“We don’t want to take it to class action, but we will do what is necessary,” Walls said.
Bus drivers at WCS do not clock in or out in the traditional sense. Instead, they use handwritten forms to log their time.
Hoffert said pay is different depending on whether a driver is taking kids to school or on a field trip.
Randy Hesser, WCS attorney, said drivers are paid a “trip minimum” that would cover their pre-trip and post-trip inspections.
Hesser said the school has an obligation to the taxpayers to make sure there really was unpaid labor.
“They (WCS) have spent an enormous amount of time of trying to reconstruct these claims,” he said. “It’s a process and it takes time.”
Hesser said there were incomplete records on both sides.
WCS does have an extra time form for drivers to fill out if they have to do work not included in their route.
Mardelle Menzie, a 14-year bus driver, said there were massive inconsistencies in what hours would be approved and what would not.
Several bus drivers involved in a lawsuit against Warsaw Community Schools said they made numerous efforts to have the school address the pay issue before filing a lawsuit.
David Williams filed a lawsuit in federal court in April, claiming WCS required bus drivers to perform work for the school corporation without compensation.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of former and active bus drivers for WCS, but has not been certified as a class-action lawsuit yet.
In addition to the school corporation, Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert, Chief Financial Officer Brandon Penrod, Human Resources Director Jeanine Corson and former Transportation Director Cheryl Cook are named as defendants.
Williams, a bus driver, said they originally wanted to retain a lawyer in order to take their grievances to the school board.
He said he and other drivers were not paid for work they did, such as pre-trip and post-trip inspections or waiting for students.
Williams said that with 10 to 20 people who have come on board with the lawsuit, they estimate the lost back wages at $70,000 over three years.
“That amounts to $22,000 a year. We’re not talking about a lot of money,” he said.
Bus driver Larry Walls said they didn’t file the lawsuit to get rich or break the school.
“We just want to be treated fairly,” he said. Walls added that as a taxpayer he is worried that the longer the school drags it out, the more money the school could end up paying.
If it becomes a class-action lawsuit, all of the bus drivers would be included whether they signed on to it or not.
“We don’t want to take it to class action, but we will do what is necessary,” Walls said.
Bus drivers at WCS do not clock in or out in the traditional sense. Instead, they use handwritten forms to log their time.
Hoffert said pay is different depending on whether a driver is taking kids to school or on a field trip.
Randy Hesser, WCS attorney, said drivers are paid a “trip minimum” that would cover their pre-trip and post-trip inspections.
Hesser said the school has an obligation to the taxpayers to make sure there really was unpaid labor.
“They (WCS) have spent an enormous amount of time of trying to reconstruct these claims,” he said. “It’s a process and it takes time.”
Hesser said there were incomplete records on both sides.
WCS does have an extra time form for drivers to fill out if they have to do work not included in their route.
Mardelle Menzie, a 14-year bus driver, said there were massive inconsistencies in what hours would be approved and what would not.