Many transit agencies have cut back service, but plenty of bus drivers, train operators, maintenance workers, cleaners and airport staff are still reporting to work — and interacting with the public in the process. (wamu885)
Metro is keeping some workers in reserve, ready to plug gaps in the workforce if a large number of employees get sick.Patricia O'Riordan is worried about her husband, Terry. He's worked for Metro for 25 years and is a mechanic for the system's escalators and elevators in Virginia stations. And he's still going to work full time, even as the region — and Metro — brace for the coronavirus outbreak.
"We're first line responders, we're trying to keep the economy going, we're trying to get first responders to their jobs, but at the same time we have to be concerned for ourselves. And officials have to figure out: do we keep the service going like it is or do we shut it down and utilize it for essential reasons only?" said John Costa,"I think we're at that point, and our members are starting to be concerned about that.
But it's not quite that simple. Both Jackson and a Metro spokesman told WAMU that the agency is only giving out masks to workers according to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So transit agency police responding to a medical call, for instance, get masks. Costa said ATU International has long advocated for better separation between bus drivers and the riding public, citing abuse and assault incidents dating long before the pandemic.
For his part, Pollard says he's regularly cleaning the area of his bus by the driver's seat, especially the steering wheel and controls. The 32BJ chapter of the SEIU union, which represents workers at Dulles International and Reagan National Airports,Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to extend emergency benefits to workers, including a statewide 14-day emergency paid sick leave policy and unemployment insurance for reduced business hours or closures.
Metro says its service reductions mean it will need 60% fewer employees to maintain system operations. But a spokesman confirmed that employees will generally still be paid the usual non-overtime rate, with some variations based on which union they're in or if they hold a non-union position. But Mehdi feels lucky in comparison to other drivers he knows. He thinks he'll be able to get a two-month extension on his auto loan payments, but other ride-hailing drivers rent their vehicles and are now struggling to cover the cost of that rent, much less make money.
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