Vigil with a Point

Miami

It looked like a bid for publicity, and it was. But the assembled members of Local 1184 (Council 79) — public school bus drivers, custodians and the like — also had an important point to make when they staged an all-night vigil on glitzy Biscayne Boulevard.

As local Pres. Sherman Henry put it, referring to his brothers and sisters who are fighting legislation that could privatize their jobs: "This [the street] is where we may end up. Most of our people are one paycheck away from being homeless."

Jeanette Wynn, president of Council 79 and an International vice president, joined the protest. So did students who belong to Miami’s college-level Youth Labor Movement and high school-level Future Labor Leaders. They agreed with Henry’s assessment that instead of cutting jobs to save money, the school board should find savings by cutting or altering high management salaries, vehicle purchases and equipment purchases.

Bus driver Gail Miller made the scene with her six-year-old granddaughter and five-year-old great-niece because she wants them to better understand what it means to be homeless. Beyond that, Miller was determined to speak out in behalf of her job: "I love being a bus driver ... being with those kids. I would hate for them to take that away from me as my job."