RICHMOND, Va. (June 30) — Richmond City Public Schools and Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 804, the union representing its Transportation Department employees, announced today at a press conference that they reached final terms regarding an initial collective bargaining agreement.  

As part of the negotiations, RPS agreed to the reinstatement of five bus drivers fired on April 25, 2025, following call-outs that led to the cancellation of afterschool activities. Under the terms of the resolution, the five bus drivers will be reinstated to their jobs on July 1. Moving forward, LIUNA and RPS are committed to preventing further cancellations of any schools or programs requiring bus services, ensuring that students can get to school and home predictably and on time.

The three-year agreement extends to the end of the 2026-27 school year, and resolves the two items that had brought the parties to an impasse in fall 2024 — both regarding the structure of overtime pay. Under the terms, bus drivers have agreed to accept new six-hour per day contracts (a change from eight-hour per day contracts) to reduce overtime costs. Bus drivers’ salaries will remain unchanged.

LIUNA Local 804 and RPS agreed to implement a new system for activity runs. Under this new system, drivers will no longer receive a flat two hours of pay. Instead, drivers will receive pay for the time worked.  This will include pay for a 30-minute staging period ahead of their after-school activity runs, which will be paid at their hourly rate. Additionally, drivers will be paid in quarter-hour intervals for the time required to complete activity runs. For instance, if a driver’s run starts at 5:00 p.m. and ends at 6:03 p.m., the drive will be paid for 4:30-6:15 p.m.

Transportation employees will also receive a 7-percent pay increase in the 2026-27 school year. With this 7-percent pay increase, the average bus driver salary will be $51,540 annually. This follows a pay increase of 10-percent in 2024-25 and a 6-percent increase in 2025-26 — overall, a 23-percent increase over three years.

“I’m delighted we were able to negotiate this compromise agreement to ensure uninterrupted bus service this fall,” says RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras. “This is a win for RPS, a win for our drivers, and most importantly, a win for our 22,000 students.”

LIUNA Local 804 Business Manager Keon Shim expressed appreciation for the compromise that led to the bargaining breakthroughs. “Local 804 looks forward to working with RPS and the School Board going forward to ensure safe, timely, and efficient transportation for students,” he said. “These hardworking bus drivers want to do their best for the students they serve.”  

School Board Chair and 9th District Representative Shavonda Fernandez noted, “It is our solemn obligation to care for our students from the moment they leave home until they return safely to their caregivers. That level of commitment must remain at the center of every decision we make across the district. This agreement reflects a shared commitment among the Administration and LIUNA to stay aligned, focused and united in purpose—understanding that every choice should reflect what’s best for the students we serve. We appreciate that LIUNA and the Administration were able to come to a resolution, and as a Board, we will always support sound governance that reflects transparency, accountability, and a focus on what is best for students. We look forward to continued collaboration rooted in our shared responsibility to serve the children and families of Richmond Public Schools.”