Orangeburg bus drivers meet with district leaders to discuss pay situation

The district had to find substitute drivers to fill in for 14 who did not come in for work Tuesday

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WOLO) —For the second straight day, several bus drivers with the Orangeburg County School District protested disparities in their paychecks.

Some spoke with district officials Tuesday morning at Lake Marion High School to put some of their concerns on the table.

Some bus drivers told ABC Columbia they are confident the district will seriously consider their concerns about the new uniform pay scale and take swift action. However, others say they came away from today thinking the district does not care about what they do each day.

“Justice has to be done. We work hard to actually take these kids to and from school, and we just want to be paid what we are due, not only what they think we should be paid, but we should be paid what we are worth,” said David Brown, one of the bus drivers who attended the meeting Tuesday morning.

Ever since the three Orangeburg County school districts consolidated into one back in July, some bus drivers say they have not received their paychecks or they received a lower amount than what they feel they are owed.

“They told me on one of my time sheets that they would honor the time, but then when I went back in to get more information, they told me they were not going to honor that time, so I was short about $500,” Brown said.

Some said Dr. Darrell Johnson, the Interim Superintendent of OCSD, listened to their concerns, but some had mixed feelings coming out of the meeting.

“He tried to knock us down to four hours a day and he couldn’t even answer the question as to how you could live on four hours a day,” said D.J. Phingaz, a bus driver.

Dr. Johnson said the district could have done a better job in informing the drivers about the uniform pay scale after consolidation occurred on July 1. 

He says drivers will get paid for the amount of time they actually drive the bus, plus an extra hour for pre and post ride inspections.

“Everyone who has worked will be paid, but we will not be able to pay you for time that you did not work. We can not be good stewards of taxpayer dollars if I pay you for 40 hours when you’re only driving for 33 or 32,” Dr. Johnson said.

Some drivers who have served the county for years say the actions over the last few weeks could have them looking elsewhere for work.

“If this right here persists, and they try to cut our pay and treat us like garbage, I’m going to be like everyone else and look for another job,” Phingaz said.

Dr. Johnson says only 14 drivers did not show up to work Tuesday, and that they had enough substitute drivers to cover the routes.

Some drivers say they will keep on protesting until the district addresses the issues with their paychecks.