Local 234 Transport Workers Union President Willie Brown said that front line workers have been spat and coughed on since the virus started spreading and the agency has not done enough about implementing protective measures.
“It’s almost as if they’re sending my members out there on a suicide mission,” said Brown, who posted an online video warning that the union would take the “job action” Thursday if SEPTA failed to meet demands. “We will choose life over death,” Brown said in the video.
The Transit Workers Union issued a list of eight demands on Tuesday night. It includes new rider limits, paid quarantine leave for certain at-risk employees and a $500,000 death benefit for all workers who die as a result of the coronavirus. Among the stipulations are a 15 rider per vehicle limit and a modified workweek at full pay.
Brown also pointed to overcrowding on buses due to an insufficient number of vehicles on routes. SEPTA switched to a Lifeline service, which cut bus and trolley service by about 50%.
You can read: SEPTA to suspend six regional lines due to growing cases of coronavirus
“This is not about us, this is about the riding public, also,” said Brown. “You shouldn’t feel like you’re getting on a vehicle that’s not safe for you.”
Brown stated that SEPTA has until Thursday to meet the demands set by the union but he did not specify the actions to be taken in case his requests were not satisfied.
Meanwhile, in a statement sent Tuesday,SEPTA said its “top priority is the health and safety of our customers and employees.” The agency assured it has “worked closely with our workforce and union leaders to enhance protections and provide the safest possible environment for essential travel.”
Coronavirus cases top 10,000 in the city and grow to nearly 200 among SEPTA employees with four deaths.
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