POTENTIAL COVID-19 CLUSTER AT BUS GARAGE REQUIRES MASS TESTING NOW: TTC WORKERS’ UNION

Queensway Garage currently has an outbreak of positive cases that is 50 times the infection rate of the City of Toronto

Toronto April 18, 2020—The President of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 and the Canadian President of the ATU, John Di Nino, are calling on Toronto Public Health to send a mobile health unit to the Queensway division to test every worker who was in contact with the 4 individuals who have tested positive and the 4 individuals who now have symptoms.

“We need serious and decisive action to stop this outbreak from becoming a lethal cluster and spreading any further,” said ATU Local 113 President, Carlos Santos. “That means getting Toronto Public Health to Queensway immediately to start mass testing.”
President Santos is laying out a serious set of reasonable demands to contain the outbreak and meet the health needs of each and every ATU member.

“First, all workers on all shifts need to self-isolate with 100% pay for 14-days or until they test negative. Second, all workers must be given priority testing and be tested by a special mobile public health staff. Third, if public health does not have the capacity, we need letters to go to union members who can get priority testing on their own. Fourth, the immediate deep cleaning of Queensway facilities and vehicles including but not limited to all maintenance and transportation amenities such as tools, touchpoints, counters and so on.”

A full-blown outbreak at another maintenance facility was avoided by sending all the workers home as a precautionary measure. Earlier this week, the first positive COVID-19 case occurred at Queensway and the shift was not sent home as a precautionary measure.

“With respect to the Queensway garage, we did not see the same precautionary measure adopted by the TTC and furthermore, we want the TTC to implement all of our demands to ensure the safety of all passengers and transit workers,” said ATU Canada President, John Di Nino.

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Media Contacts:

Carlos Santos
ATU Local 113 President

John Di Nino
ATU Canada President
Phone: 416-938-0746