The big news in Boston this morning was the surprise strike by Boston school bus drivers stranding thousands of students and forcing the cancellation of all after-school athletic events. The bus drivers who recently signed a new contract are protesting measures taken by the city’s new transit partner, Veolia Transportation, that some of then believe impinges on their ability to do their jobs.
The interim school superintendent, John McDonough confirmed that a bus-tracking app, which uses a GPS system, was at least part of the issue. “The union had objected to our implementing this type of technology,” he said. The smartphone app was unveiled recently as a way for parents to know more precisely when the buses would be arriving and as a safety measure in case of accidents or other problems. But the drivers saw it as too much “Big Brother” control over them and demanded on their union Web site: “Stop employer abuse of anti-labor Global Positioning System spy devices.”
This is an interesting development to be aware of as we welcome tomorrow's guest speaker. This article just touches the surface of this issue. I am curious if the city involved the bus drivers in the decision to install the gps devices? Could this strike have been averted with better communication or are the GPS devices really a manifestation of Big Brother? This is a developing story.....
Dan, you beat me to this! This story is particularly interesting in light of our case for tomorrow. The buses added a capability that appeals to parents (the customers). The technology and process work and add value for the customer, but without having their people (employees) on board, the capability won't work overall.
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