A national alliance calls for better COVID-19 protection for transit workers 

Dozens of labor, business, and community organizations from across the country this week asked the White House and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to supply better protective equipment and guidance to safeguard the transit workforce. Greater Greater Washington joined them in signing the letter.

As of this week, COVID-19 has claimed the lives of nearly 100 transit workers in the United States. In the Washington region, WMATA reports that 40 agency workers have tested positive for COVID-19, and ATU Local 689 reports three cases among DC Streetcar workers.

Transit workers ensure other essential workers can provide medical care, food, and basic necessities, and their work provides access for low-income and underserved populations to key services like grocery stores and pharmacies. From drivers to cleaners to station managers, transit workers’ efforts allow the greater Washington region to function on a critical level at this extremely difficult and precarious time.

Bus and train operators, maintenance workers, and cleaning staff at transit agencies in the Washington region are putting their lives on the line. Without strong federal coordination to procure personal protective equipment (PPE) for transit workers, they face needless risks on the job.

The letter asks for measures recommended by infectious disease experts, such as N95 masks and other protective gear, for frontline transit workers whose duties put them in close proximity to passengers, or require exposure to hazardous disinfectants. To effectively live up to their duty to protect workers, WMATA and other transit agencies would also benefit from clearer guidance, including recommendations on how to ventilate transit vehicles to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission. While best practice isn’t firmly established in every respect in these unprecedented circumstances, our national health authorities are in a stronger position to make informed judgments based on the precautionary principle than are transit agencies, whose expertise lies elsewhere.

These measures should be put in place to protect the transit workforce, the letter says. This in turn will strengthen the overall effort to control the pandemic, minimize the spread of COVID-19, and support WMATA’s efforts to provide service to other essential workers. Nearly 3 million Americans classified as essential workers typically commute on transit, according to a TransitCenter analysis of US Census data.

Protective gear for transit workers could have a significant multiplier effect. Reducing risk will mean more transit workers are healthy and able to work, which can enable more transit service, less crowding on transit vehicles, and lower rates of transmission among transit riders and the general population.

The alliance signing on to the letter reflects the broad public interest in protecting transit workers, encompassing labor, business, transportation, economic justice, environmental, and community-based organizations from dozens of states.

Supply chain issues affect every industry seeking protective gear. However, the need for transit workers is so urgent, and the consequences of further delay potentially dire, that the letter’s signatories ask for federal action as soon as possible. These protections will save the lives of transit workers, as well as the lives of nurses, doctors, food distribution workers, cleaners, and other essential workers, along with users of essential services, who rely on transit.

The full letter, including a list of recommendations and signatories, can be found here.