School bus drivers in Auburn will no longer be working for the Auburn School Department but for a private company, hired by the School Department, that will not provide health insurance and other benefits to the bus drivers that the School Department used to provide (March 24).

That is an indirect way of taking away the benefits of the bus drivers and avoid violating the collective bargaining contracts.

Reducing the pay and benefits of the bus drivers, whether directly or indirectly, while increasing the salaries of those who are making proportionally much more money — such as the school superintendent — seems to be unjust, and to claim that it will save money to the taxpayers seems hypocritical.

Unfortunately, it is not only the city of Auburn that plays that game. I am seeing it happening all over the country.

There seems to be a trend where businesses are paying and giving fewer and fewer benefits to the workers who perform much of the work for them, and who are subsequently deprived of having any health insurance in order to provide food and shelter to themselves and their families.

If that is not treating the workers as slaves, it is very close to it, whether it is done directly or indirectly.

Donald LaBranche, Lewiston