LAS CRUCES — School bus drivers in Las Cruces — who allege they are poorly paid, neglected by the district, and victims of paltry state funding — plan to picket Monday to force their private-sector employer to provide them "a liveable wage," said a school bus driver union member.

"We are trying to get a living wage so that people here can get off of welfare and food stamps. It's hard to raise kids on 10 dollars an hour," said Leslie Tamburro, a school bus driver for three years who is among a group of drivers ready to picket outside the 9:30 a.m. contract negotiations at the Carpenter's Union building at 1880 Solano.

Officials from Texas-based Student Transportation Specialists of New Mexico, which was hired by Las Cruces Public Schools in July 2010 to bus its students to and from school, will meet with union representatives to discuss the new contract.

The line in the sand, union officials said, was a wage increase and "union security."

Fat chance, said an official from STS.

"The company lost money the first year we were here. We did give them a raise the first year we came in, and that was probably a mistake on my part," said Ralph Williams, director of operations for STS of New Mexico. "Now after losing money as a company, we can't go out and subsidize their transportation. If we can't make a profit we can't come up with any more money for the drivers wages.


"We are in a situation where we come in to try and be a profitable organization and, until we get to that point, there is nothing more we can do. I can't give anymore than what I've already given. They want more money and we just can't do it," he said.

Williams also said he did not agree with the union forcing people to pay union dues.

"If they want to be in that union, I don't have a problem with that. But if (employees) don't want to be in the union, they should not have to pay its dues," he said.

Union representaties said the union has about 180 drivers.

Members of the bus driver's union say they understand that private companies need to make a profit if employees are going to be paid enough to maintain a lifestyle.

"We want this company to stay, we want them to be profitable. But we need help," said Katherine Tharp, a union driver. "We understand that if they are not profitable they can't be here for us."

The LCPS district has been absent of any involvement, said union officials, who said they understand the need to maintain the proper legal distance but added that the district should be more involved because they were the entity that brought in the student transportation company.

"They wouldn't talk to us because they said it was a conflict of interest," said Tamburro. "They are not cooperative. We would like someone to talk to us so they can know what the issues are. They are the ones who hire these people. We can't pick our employer. We just get lumped with whoever they pick."

The district can't get involved, officials said, because they cannot interfere with the relationship between the school bus driver employer, STS, and its employees.

"We don't have a role in this. They have a union and they deal directly with the employer," said Larry Altomorano, director of transportation with the school district. "We simply contract with STS of New Mexico. They have a relationship with their employees and we contract with the bus company. We don't have any role in the negotiations."

Union members say wages currently start at $9.87 an hour and that a 40-year veteran only makes $13.60 per hour. The average annual salary, they said, is between $10,000 and $12,000 with no health benefits nor retirement package.

Tamburro said the current rancor between themselves and STS is unfortunate because it interferes with an enjoyable job. It's their bond with the children, she said, that keeps drivers coming back to work, even with the stress of low pay and little attention.

"We get on that bus every morning despite the wage that we have and the treatment that we get, we get on those buses for those kids," she said. "We get doors shut on us at the district, nobody listens to us at the state level, the companys that get in could not care less, they just want to make money — and we understand that and know that is their reality — but now it's time for us to get some help."

Reyes Mata III can be reache at (575) 541-5405.