Las Cruces High School athletic teams forced to forfeit games if bus drivers strike

The Las Cruces Public School District is preparing for a possible first-ever bus driver strike. If it happens, officials say it will have a big impact on high school athletics.

As ABC-7 has reported, LCPS does not hire bus drivers. They have a contract with a private company, Student Transportation Services. The Las Cruces Transportation Federation Local 6341 is the union that represents the drivers.

LCTF is threatening to strike because they say the children’s safety is at risk. They say they’re forced to drive over-crowded buses and have a high driver turn over rate with not enough sick days.

A judge granted a temporary restraining order filed by LCPS, forcing union members to drive buses until Tuesday. But Friday, LCPS board members voted to not support the injunction and the district threw out the litigation.

Now, it’s unknown if and when union members will strike. The district says over 7,000 students who take the bus to and from school will be affected.

Officials tell ABC-7 high school athletics could also be greatly impacted if the bus drivers walk out. Boys and girls baseball, softball, tennis, golf and track are heading down the stretch with critical season ending competition. But if there are no buses to transport student athletes, the district says it’ll force teams to forfeit.

“We’ll have to let them know that our teams traveling that day are not traveling, most likely forfeit the contest,” LCPS Athletic Director Earnest Viramontes said. “Then I’ve got to notify all the schools we are going to visit to make sure they understand we’re not coming.”

The district says liability concerns factor in its policy against allowing parents to drive student athletes to games. They also say renting out charter buses is out of the question.

“We got to look at it as the whole district picture, not just athletics,” Viramontes said. “And are you going to be able to get charters for everything?”

Viramontes says it’s difficult to reschedule with out of town teams. In the mean time, coaches and players are paying close attention.

“We just keep doing what we keep doing, playing hard,” Padilla said.

STS tells ABC-7 negotiations may last at least until Wednesday . A union representative said it’s possible a strike could happen before that. But they’re not saying when.

The district says field trips will also be cancelled if drivers strike.