By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – A Buffalo Board of Education member will walk in the shoes of a bus aid Friday.
The Transportation Aides are fighting for a Living Wage increase.
Long time city bus aid Betty Martin says she hasn't had a pay raise in five years. Martin currently earns just $9.05 an hour as a bus aid in the Buffalo School District
Martin is president of the Transportation Aides. Earlier this week, she pleaded with the School board to give them a Living Wage increase. Those paid under the City's Living Wage law earn $11.11 an hour. But Martin also challenged board members to ride the school bus with her.
The bus aides say they deal with dangerous conditions and sometimes violent students. Martin tells WBFO News she wants the board to see first-hand the dangerous conditions they put up with for very little pay. West District Board member Ralph Hernadez has agreed to join Martin on her bus route Friday morning.
Click the "listen" icon above to hear Eileen Buckley's story now or use your podcasting software to download it to your computer or iPod.