To All Members of Pioneer

Ernie · September 28, 2020, 07:46:56 PM

Ladies and gentleman

Let's get one thing straight .The obligation of the Union to contact the company and notify them of the concerns was ABSOULETLY done with the powers to be of Pioneer, as they heard the allegations. There were no proof positives until just recent. But the notification to the company by the Union was done.

Seriously the accusations coming from some of the members who should be standing with their Union (which are a choice few) always seem to have something negative to say.

Also the Union which is clear on the legal issues, The Company itself is not obligated to tell any employees WHO (Specifically) has the virus but direct all employees to get tested. That being the HIPPA law. I am sure there are many worried about coming in contact with Bobby but also take into consideration he was wearing a mask and was behind a plastic shield.

If you have any concerns on the part of the Union. Contact your Union Rep or Delegate and speak to him.
I am available at any time of the day.

Ernie

One last thing: Let's all hope Bobby and family recover quickly.

Hammer2161 · September 29, 2020, 12:06:09 AM

First let me start off by saying I wish Bobby and his family all the best and hopefully a speedy recovery.

Now with that being said as of this morning Pioneer had not advised anyone of the positive case nor did they advise anyone to be tested. As I have stated in other posts the major issue I see is that there are to many grey areas pertaining to the safety protocols that were put in place. But with that being said there is still no official guidance from the powers that be at Pioneer. Everything is double talk nothing is official in the sense that we as drivers can use it to protect ourselves. It is very disheartening to be told that no bus should have more than 10 or so students and then be told if you show up to a stop and there are 20 or 30 students with masks you must take them all. Drivers are very confused and many are disenchanted with the guidance we have received.

OMG · September 29, 2020, 01:40:49 AM

Hammer2161, My sentiments exactly. And it's a shame that it hasn't been addressed with all the chatting that's been going on on this website, I'm talking about both the union and the company. I for one am stopping at 10, I plan on going to a couple more stops and just letting the parents know that I'm full and I can't take any more. I also plan on telling them that the Board of Education wants me to load all the kids and not socially distanced them. We'll see what happens in the afternoon, if I have too many I Plan on letting it be known that the school buses are overloaded and there is no social distancing. It's a shame that all we got is a pair of gloves, a mask and hand sanitizer And no one will address the issue at hand but they know we're talking about it.

Buzz · September 29, 2020, 01:55:10 AM

I have the same concerns and questions as you guys but I think neither the company nor the union is to blame. It's clearly OPT ... they just give them same self-contradictory guidance that will cover their own asses and leave all of us, including the company and union, without any clear direction. Then when it goes wrong we're going to be the ones that have to answer. Total bullshit.

Hammer2161 · September 29, 2020, 02:08:49 AM

My only question is when and where do we get to draw the line in the sand. We are just as important as any other person involved in the opening of our public school system. And we deserve the same respect as the teachers faculty and children involved.

There is truly no benefit in pointing blame at this point. I think we can all agree that OPT AND THE BOE have failed everyone involved in this process. They are truly to blame for this disaster. The only question I really have is WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE. I TRULY AM AT A LOSS.

OMG · September 29, 2020, 02:14:41 AM

I understand Buzz, But this is an issue you can't just let go. There are serious health concerns here, this is a bad virus and some of us are compromised. This is an issue with that really needs to be addressed and you can't turn a blind eye to it. This is the real reason unions were formed, work conditions and health concerns. If you don't get the answer you're looking for you go knock on doors until you do, you keep calling and knocking on doors and getting yourself heard. I thought by now we were going to have answers to these gray areas but obviously we don't so we have to take it into our own hands. It's a goddamn shame! I got to be honest with you, I'm very disappointed. This is the very reason Union's existed, safe working conditions.

Buzz · September 29, 2020, 03:03:01 AM

But what you don't understand is that they DO ask, and they get the same double-talk they give us. Even Owen said at the training class that he called OPT and told them that they say we have to social distance on the bus, yet you send runs with 47 kids.

They had no answer.

PROUD MEMBER · September 29, 2020, 03:30:33 AM

What does anyone expect to happen? Do you think MTA buses have a 10 passenger limit? Do you think MTA buses have social distancing? Be careful otherwise we may find ourselves out of a job. This time not for a few months but forever. Along with that will go our pension that is small enough already. Once school reopens for a extended period of time and if the City feels busing is not needed we're F***ed!
Obviously we have to be safe but by telling parents or calling 311 or Eyewitness news is not the answer to solving anything for us. We unlike MTA drivers or teachers are not City workers and are not essential workers and unfortunately are a smaller and less powerful Union. We will only be hurting ourselves. Instead of doing those things call ur delegate as he as suggested, when you go to work ask to speak to Owen, Duffy or Neil. The BOE has given us the bus guidelines and in my opinion they are realistic guidelines. Public schools haven't even opened yet and when they do I doubt if any buses are going to be overcrowded. Yes, in some cases maybe more than 10 but not stupid numbers. The bottom line is if you feel it's unsafe to work (which is understandable) then stay home until things change. Change meaning the BOE makes its guidelines stricter (which I doubt) or there is a cure or vaccine.

Numbers · September 29, 2020, 09:39:05 AM

I agree with pm 100%, well said

OMG · September 29, 2020, 10:56:05 AM

MTA ridership is extremely low, both underground and on the ground. What does drivers have that we don't have is protection, the drivers are surrounded by plexiglass and they have their own ventilation. So do the buses, they're well ventilated. The teachers also have plexiglass around their desk, And so do the students. The teachers also have ventilation in their classroom. What do we have? Absolutely nothing! We have nothing, no effort at all was made. Masks made in China, hand sanitizer I never heard of. Nothing

yabba · September 29, 2020, 02:47:17 PM

i dont think the public schools students have plexiglass.. i havent seen that in the news feeds that show big bird and sprout touring the schools... i also dont see the differnce of having 10 or 20 kids on the bus as long as they have mask...im also happy to be back behind the wheel and that is probably not a good way of thinking and i admit im deaf to a lot of this virus...

Hammer2161 · September 29, 2020, 03:18:32 PM

Listen you can choose to be deaf to this virus as long as you can still respect the people that are very concerned by it and the affect it may have taken on their respective lives. I see people comparing us to the MTA and what not. Facts are facts and simply stated the guidelines set forth are not being followed. We all had to sign a piece of paper where we were all asked for an email address where we can be reached specifically for positive covid cases at Pioneer. It is now Tuesday at 9:10 am and I have yet to hear anything from Pioneer concerning the positive case in our yard.

I will be honest though, I do find it very alarming the willingness of some drivers to forgo any of the protocols in place just to get back to work. I pray that we all stay safe but unfortunately as we have already seen cases will emerge.

Please stay safe and MAY GOD WATCH OVER ALL OF US.

Buzz · September 29, 2020, 04:58:34 PM

I tend to agree with you, Hammer. However, there are some that ... out of necessity ... are forced to put a paycheck ahead of their personal safety ... and I don't fault them for that. Not everybody has a city or other pension and may not be as comfortable as some others. They're doing what they have to do and I don't think it's out of a dearth of fear or caution ... they simply have no choice.

yabba · September 29, 2020, 05:53:17 PM

Quote from: Hammer2161 on September 29, 2020, 03:18:32 PM
Listen you can choose to be deaf to this virus as long as you can still respect the people that are very concerned by it and the affect it may have taken on their respective lives. I see people comparing us to the MTA and what not. Facts are facts and simply stated the guidelines set forth are not being followed. We all had to sign a piece of paper where we were all asked for an email address where we can be reached specifically for positive covid cases at Pioneer. It is now Tuesday at 9:10 am and I have yet to hear anything from Pioneer concerning the positive case in our yard.

I will be honest though, I do find it very alarming the willingness of some drivers to forgo any of the protocols in place just to get back to work. I pray that we all stay safe but unfortunately as we have already seen cases will emerge.

Please stay safe and MAY GOD WATCH OVER ALL OF US.

I agree with you hammer..i by no means feel your wrong with your thinking..thats why i admit to my thinking as no being the right idea..i just try to protect myself as best as i can... and wish safety for all of us,and lets get this virus in the past...

Hammer2161 · September 29, 2020, 06:34:44 PM

Buzz I think you may have misunderstood what I was trying to say.

In no way am I condemning anyone for feeling the way they feel or doing what they have to. I truly don't care if you have a pension from somewhere else or if this is all you have ever done. For some this paycheck is what gets them by and for others it enables them to do things they maybe can't afford to do just on a pension. No one is coming to work in the midst of this just for shits and giggles. I believe everyone that is coming to work is doing it for his or her own reason.

But I just feel like sometimes the people that are taking this virus less serious than others frown upon the concerns of others. We should all respect the way each other feels and try to support each other. No matter which side you fall on be it throw caution to the wind or extremely cautious they each have merit in there own way. Just respect the people that feel differently is all.