Riders of the #66 DeCamp Bus Line between West Caldwell and New York City might notice as the holidays wind down, that the route will be missing a very familiar face. Driver Michele Oleschuk stepped down last Friday, Dec. 24, after working at DeCamp for the past 26 years.
Oleschuk (pictured below, right) will continue to drive a bus where she currently lives, in Monroe County, P.A., where she has commuted from for the past few years.
Always on friendly and amicable terms with the riders, Oleschuk said she had grown accustomed to seeing the regulars everyday.
It is only to be expected that when early morning or late afternoon commutes are mixed with delays, bad weather or any number unforeseen things, riding in a DeCamp bus is not the most tranquil of experiences. So when Oleschuk was asked what the most ridiculous experience she has had during her tenure as a driver, she just shook her head and said there were too many to mention.
“We could all tell you stories that would make your hair stand on end,” Oleschuk chuckled.
Whatever the season or weather, the most frequently asked question she got over the years was inevitably, “Why are you late?”
In other DeCamp news, the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1317, which represents drivers, mechanics and cleaners at DeCamp, is still operating without a contract, after they resumed work on September 15 following a week-long strike.
The strike was based on unresolved issues surrounding their contracts which had lapsed in September 2009.
Jorge Maldonado, Local Union 1317 president until the end of 2010, said new contracts were recently negotiated on Dec. 17.
However, Maldonado said “nothing at all” had been accomplished toward an agreement during the most recent negotiations.
The next series of negotiations will be in February, when there will be a new union president.
In addition, an incident this past Monday, Dec. 27, continued to spark tensions between drivers and management.
Some drivers were angered and perplexed when they were told to show up for work on Monday during the declared state of emergency, regardless of the fact the buses were not running that day. Moreover, drivers would lose a day’s pay if they did not or could not show up for work.
Baristanet received an email from one of the drivers on Monday evening about the incident:
In the true sense of the word, Decamp Bus Lines shows their bus operators what a contract negotiation cooling off period really means. On a day that is declared a state of emergency, DeCamp Bus Lines forces drivers to show up for work or lose a days pay even though the busses are grounded for the remainder of the day.
DeCamp Bus Lines does show some compassion when you deal with them on a one to one bases. But in our opinion this goes far beyond reason. Some of us travel a long distance to and from work and should not have to show up for work just to sit around and do nothing.
It just seems that our safety takes a back seat to DeCamp Bus Lines showing their bravado.
Baristanet attempted to contact DeCamp management for a response to the above statement, but was told by the dispatch office that no one was available for comment.
AND-WHEN-THEY-DO-RESPOND-IT-WILL-ALL-BE-IN-UPPER-CASE-AND-HYPHENATED. (One of the true signs of the communications-challenged.)
WHY-BE YOU SAY DAT? ME NO-BE AGREE WITH-YOU.
I’ve ridden the morning bus with Michelle for years. We often chatted about a variety of things – turned out we had much in common. We both grew up (years apart) in Passaic. Not far from each other, and would often reminisce about what Passaic was like in the ’60s. Michelle was unfailingly thoughtful and patient with all riders. She always managed to drop me as close as possible to the elevators on the 4th floor of the PABT. This was a real help, as I walk with canes. I’ll miss Michelle greatly.
I think “Why are you late?” is a fair question directed at a business that is based on times and schedules. “Late” can mean anything from 15 minutes to half an hour with DeCamp. Why even have a schedule if you can’t or won’t stick to it?