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Newark Valley local pushes
for traffic safety
March 26, 2003 Bus driver Robin Shaver poses by signs installed due to union persistence. Linda Tarbox still remembers when her district superintendent asked her why she was just a bus driver. "That pretty much sums up the attitude School-Related Professionals can confront," said Tarbox, president of the Newark Valley Cardinal Bus Drivers/SRPs. "People, even those who also work in schools, don't realize we choose these jobs and we care about our schools and our kids. Bottom line is: You don't drive a bus long if you don't care about kids." Another choice is to join a union. When Tarbox saw how much her local and statewide union advocated for schools and those who work in them, she got involved. She went to work on expanding the local union to include teacher aides. "More members can mean double the trouble, but there's also the strength in numbers and what more members means to your union," she said. With more than 70 members in her union, the group makes a statement marching in southern tier parades, even if everyone doesn't show up. The little local made big news when it succeeded in getting the state Department of Transportation to post school-zone signs, reduce the speed limit and install flashing traffic signals at the intersection near Newark Valley High this winter. "There'd been numerous accidents over the years, but we'd been told until we had a fatality, we couldn't get a light," Tarbox said. "We didn't have anyone we wanted to sacrifice, so we set up a committee to keep working at it." Tarbox picked 13-year veteran bus driver Robin Shaver as the point person. Shaver said she learned a lot from the experience. "We know what we see on the job every day, but you have to work with the community and listen to what their concerns are, too," Shaver said. "Then make sure the issue is really the safety of children and the public." For the unsafe intersection, the local kept at it, regardless of how many times the state DOT said "no" to a traffic light. "If you're told no for one reason, find another way to make the request or change it, because each time you submit a different request, they have to come out and look at it," Shaver said. "I think they got tired of coming out again and again." With more members, the union has strengthened its community outreach. It also has succeeded in getting relevant professional development for SRP members, thanks to training through the New York State United Teachers Education and Learning Trust. "I used to hear it all the time - people were sick of getting training that doesn't apply to them," said Tarbox, one of dozens of trainers in the SRP Professional Development Program. The program integrates current information on a range of topics with practical applications tailored to work needs. For more information, call (800) 528-6208. - Betsy Sandberg |
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