Union school bus drivers have given their leaders the authority to call a strike against companies that provide bus transportation for the New York City Department of Education.

The drivers, escorts and mechanics of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181 authorized the strike threat in a vote Tuesday.

Contract talks between the union and school bus contractors have stalled over the issue of health care benefits.

The union says the school bus companies’ health insurance proposal would bankrupt the health insurance fund within the next three years, leaving members with no health coverage.

ATU Local 1181 President Michael Cordiello says the union will fight for its members’ health care “and if necessary, strike to maintain them.”

He says drivers will continue to safely transport school children until an agreement with employers cannot be reached.

Source: AP