SOME GLITCHES AS BUS DRIVERS RETURN TO JOB IN LAUSD.

Byline: Sonia Giordani Staff Writer

Laidlaw school buses were back on the streets Monday as most of the company's drivers returned to work in the Los Angeles Unified School District after nearly a month on the picket lines.

But the first day brought more than a few glitches as hundreds of students were left stranded for up to 30 minutes after some drivers for Laidlaw Education Services failed to show up.

The district scrambled to find relief drivers to cover 42 of 707 routes operated by Laidlaw, but delays were minimal compared with the strike's early days, when students were left waiting for hours.

``All in all, it went pretty well,'' said Antonio Rodriguez, LAUSD transportation director, who supervises the district's 1,130 drivers and oversees contract drivers through five outside firms - the largest being Laidlaw.

The strike began April 2 after talks between Teamsters Local 572 and Laidlaw broke down over wage and health care benefits. As a result, field trips were canceled for much of April because of a dearth of school buses but they will resume this Wednesday.

However, the strike's conclusion came too late for junior varsity and freshman-sophomore athletes, who were left without a competitive league after the Los Angeles City Section decided last week to cancel the remainder of the season. The city section governs athletic competition for LAUSD schools.

And thousands more of the district's students have missed weeks of after- school enrichment programs, including tutorials and student groups.

In a school district that relies so heavily on school buses to relieve overcrowded urban schools and ensure integration at all campuses, the Laidlaw strike revealed how heavily LAUSD has come to rely on outside companies.

And the district isn't safe yet. Atlantic Express, the district's second- largest contract company, is in negotiations with its 252 drivers and 15 mechanics for higher wages and better benefits.

The district spends more than $60.4 million annually for outside transportation contracts with five companies to cover more than half of its bus routes. Laidlaw is responsible for 59 percent of the routes. Atlantic Express covers an additional 18 percent, with Cardinal, First Student and RD Transportation covering the remaining routes.

Teamsters Local 572 will also represent drivers from Atlantic Express who began negotiations for a contract that expires this summer.