Contract negotiations between the Bethlehem Area School District and Teamsters Local 773 remain unresolved following the union’s rejection of a proposed new transportation agreement. The school board approved the proposed contract Sept. 8, but Teamsters members rejected it in a Sept. 10 vote. The two sides were given until Sept. 21 to reconsider their positions. If no agreement was reached, negotiations were to resume through the collective-bargaining process. As of Oct. 6, no new agreement has been publicly announced. The negotiations began in November 2025 and continued through more than a dozen bargaining and working-group sessions. After the talks reached an impasse, the district requested an independent fact-finding process through the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board. Fact-finder Barbara Lichtman issued her report Aug. 31. The district accepted the recommendations, while Teamsters Local 773 rejected them, according to the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board. The district subsequently approved its proposed agreement, while acknowledging that it did not agree with every recommendation in the fact-finder’s report. District officials said the proposal was intended to balance the interests of students, transportation employees and taxpayers. Superintendent Renato M. Lajara said the district values its transportation employees and remains committed to working toward a resolution. The contract covers BASD transportation employees. The district’s Transportation Department employs nearly 150 drivers, monitors, mechanics and management personnel and transports more than 10,000 students each school day using more than 100 buses. Despite the unresolved contract, transportation service continues on a normal schedule. BASD has not announced any interruption of bus service as a result of the negotiations. The district’s next regular school board meeting is scheduled for Oct. 19.

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