News

April 21, 2020

Toronto—The Canadian President of the Amalgamated Transit Union is calling on London Transit to be transparent about how it screens paratransit clients during the coronavirus pandemic.

Provincial Legislation and Premiers can protect workers by providing: 1) Emergency funding for transit systems to offset increased costs and lost revenue. 2) Priority distribution of PPE to frontline transit system workers. 3) Job protection in the event of lay-offs as a result of COVID-19. 4) 100% paid sick leave. 5) Continue paying motor coach staff and school bus workers.

Dear Ministers, As COVID-19 continues to spread across Canada, our frontline workers in Public Transit have been forgotten and remain at risk – and they are worried. These workers have not been provided personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves – yet they continue to work – moving the general public, including essential workers in healthcare, emergency services, grocery, pharmacy and other deemed essential services. These employees have no way to protect themselves and have a right to protective masks and gloves, just like other public service workers.

ATU COVID-19 Command and Response Hotlines! These hotlines serve as a place rank-and-file ATU members can get more information on the union’s response to COVID-19 and leave messages. If you have questions about your employer’s policies or are seeking assistance to deal with your employer on COVID-19 issues, please contact your Local Union’s Business Agent. Any messages will be followed up on by an ATU organizer or representative as soon as possible.

Dear Ministers, Thank you for your dedication during this public health emergency. I am the President of ATU Canada and on behalf of our 34,000 transit workers in this country I am writing to voice our priorities during the COVID-19 crisis. We want to maintain open dialogue with decision-makers and ensure frequent communication to best serve transit workers and the public. Here is an update on what ATU Canada is doing during this crisis.

Election 2019: Building better lives through better transit