Dozens of Miami-Dade school bus drivers protested for higher pay and better working conditions for the second weekend in a row Saturday.
The rally was held at U.S. 1 and southwest 152nd street.
Workers say the shortage of school bus drivers has caused them to work longer hours for little pay.
School districts across the U.S. have seen the same shortage and many are having trouble hiring and keeping bus drivers.
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“As a Miami-Dade county bus driver for over 20 years, the pay is not right,” said one protester. “The drivers are overworked, they’re underpaid. They have a union that’s supposedly fighting for them and when they go to the table, it seems like they fold in our favor. They give us what somebody else offers us. Three percent one time back pay is not enough.”
Another driver lamented feeling left in the dust.
“We’re tired. We deserve more. We put our best years out here and we get nothing back."
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Yet another protester decried the importance of their work for the community.
“We’re carrying precious cargo everyday. We have to drive them safely, get them to school safely, pick them up safely. We need to be paid what we deserve.”
Some school districts like Palm Beach county have tried to fill in the gap by asking parents to drive their children to school.
