More than 70 unions, civil rights groups, transit organizations, and coalitions in the labor and environmental justice movements led by the Labor Network for Sustainability and Institute for Policy Studies are campaigning to include funding for transit workers in the HEROES Act now before Congress. One “essential worker” noted,
Public transit is essential for getting me to my shift at a Pittsburgh grocery store but as a response to COVID-19, our transit agency cut back on the number of buses that run routes. That means it’s harder for me to get to work and that the buses are more crowded. It’s stressful to get onto a packed bus after spending so much effort distancing the rest of the day. As someone who’s also being called an ‘essential worker,’ I can relate. We’re risking our lives, but we’re workers, not martyrs. It’s critical that our employers and public transit agencies give us the compensation and protection we deserve.
Stay informed, take action for workers’ rights with regard to transit amid the pandemic:
- Check out LNS’ resource page
- Get the Transit Equity Letter to Congress Action Toolkit
- Visit the Amalgamated Transit Union’s memorial page, “Remember Our Fallen”
- Here why Sherry B. Williams, an Atlanta area transit equity organizer believes it’s necessary to keep public transit operating during pandemic.