If you live in (what progressives call) “flyover country,” you might not know (or care) that the school bus drivers in New York City are out on strike–8,000 of them.

The strike, which has now entered its third day, has stranded over 150,000 school kids, including over 50,000 disabled children who have been the hardest hit.

The Amalgamated Transit Union, whose president, Larry Hanley, raked in over $280,000 last year (see below) has called the strike to protest New York’s Mayor Bloomberg putting the City’s contracts out to bid, with no guarantee of jobs for ATU members.

The city has put its contracts with private bus companies up for bid, aiming to cut costs. Local 1181 said drivers could suddenly lose their jobs when contracts expire in June.

[snip]

The union sought job protections for current drivers in the new contracts. The city said that the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, has barred it from including such provisions because of competitive bidding laws; the union said that’s not so.

“We need that provision,” said driver Albert Shirano. ”We’ve had it for 34 years.”

In addition to the union stranding 150,000 kids, the ATU has taken to the airwaves with an ad trying to invoke fear in parents and, apparently, trying to get the public on its side.

While the ad are professionally produced, for the union to infer in its ad that its drivers don’t have accidents is patently false:

• Special needs children taken to hospital after Long Island bus accident
• Injuries reported in school bus accident in the Bronx
• School bus carrying 5 kids, 2 adults overturns in Queens
• Kids treated after school bus crashes in Queens
• 17 hurt in Brooklyn school bus crash

From the Department of Labor:

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“Truth isn’t mean. It’s truth.”
Andrew Breitbart (1969-2012)

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