Boston parents told to make plans if talks with bus drivers fail BOSTON, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Hundreds of Boston school bus drivers returned to work Wednesday, but officials told parents to make contingency plans if talks to end a strike don't go well. The drivers went on a surprise strike Tuesday over contract issues, The Boston Globe reported. Steve Kirschbaum, chairman of the union's grievance committee, said drivers returned to work in good faith after Veolia Corp., which operates the buses for the city, agreed to meet with union representatives Wednesday morning. He characterized Tuesday's strike, which left 30,000 students without a ride to school, as an unfair labor protest after Veolia threatened to "negate 38 years of collective bargaining." Lee McGuire, a spokesman for the school district, advised parents to have alternate plans to retrieve their children from school Wednesday afternoon if negotiations failed and the walkout resumed.