Author: Stephanie Gomez

Toronto’s 12,000 public transit workers are calling on the federal and Ontario governments to provide emergency financial support to prevent layoffs and keep the TTC’s buses, streetcars, Wheel-trans vehicles and subways running. The call for emergency public transit funding was laid out in letters sent today from Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113 to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Mayor John Tory.

Letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Letter to Premier Doug Ford

Letter to Mayor John Tory

Sisters and Brothers,

We received news today that a TTC Subway operator from the Danforth Division has tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The member’s last shift was on Thursday, April 9. The member was tested on Saturday, April 18 and received the positive test on Friday, April 24.

I spoke with the member today who is recovering at home. We all wish him a full and quick recovery.

Please contact your shop steward or board member for more information.

This member’s diagnosis marks the 25^th ATU Local 113 member who has tested positive for COVID-19. Four TTC employees who are not ATU Local 113 members have also tested positive, bringing the total number of TTC employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 to 29.

Please practice social distancing as much as possible before, during and after your shifts – and stay home if you feel unwell.

In solidarity,

Carlos Santos

President, ATU Local 113

Yesterday, ATU Local 113 President Carlos Santos provided members with an update on the TTC’s layoffs announcement. Make no mistake – he’s taking this fight to all levels of government to ensure the TTC gets the emergency funding it needs to maintain service levels to prevent these layoffs.

President Santos is also encouraging members to join ATU Local 113’s general meeting on Sunday April 26 at 10 a.m. to discuss this and other matters. Members can register with their badge number and email here.

Sisters and Brothers,

We received news today that a TTC carhouse operator working out of McCowan Yard has tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The member’s last shift was on March 18. Due to health complications, the member was only tested on April 20 and received the positive test result on April 23.

Please contact your shop steward or board member for more information.

This latest confirmed case marks the 24^th ATU Local 113 member who has tested positive for COVID-19. Four TTC employees who are not ATU Local 113 members have also tested positive bringing the total number of COVID-19 positive TTC employees to 28.

Please practice social distancing as much as possible before, during and after your shifts – and stay home if you feel unwell.

In solidarity,

Carlos Santos
President, ATU Local 113

Sisters and Brothers,

We learned today that another ATU Local 113 member from the TTC Queensway Garage has unfortunately tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19). This marks the sixth ATU Local 113 member to test positive at Queensway.

The member, a coach technician, last worked on Monday, April 20 from 3 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. and received the positive test results on Thursday, April 23.

Following ATU Local 113’s reasonable demands for decisive action to stop a potential outbreak at Queensway Garage from becoming a lethal cluster and spreading any further, the TTC has asked all maintenance members at Queensway that had shifts from April 12 to April 22 to self isolate and monitor for symptoms until May 1.

Toronto’s public transit workers are among the heroes of this crisis, getting essential workers to hospitals, nursing homes, grocery stores and other critical workplaces. I am calling on the TTC, Dr. Eileen De Villa and Toronto Public Health to step up and do more to protect TTC workers’ health during this pandemic.

Please contact your shop steward or board member for more information.

This latest confirmed case marks the 23^rd ATU Local 113 member who has tested positive for COVID-19. Four TTC employees who are not ATU Local 113 members have also tested positive bringing the total number of COVID-19 positive TTC employees to 27.

Please practice social distancing as much as possible before, during and after your shifts – and stay home if you feel unwell.

In solidarity,

Carlos Santos

President, ATU Local 113

Sisters and Brothers,

We learned today that two more ATU Local 113 members from the TTC Queensway Garage have unfortunately tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19).

• Confirmed Case 1: The member, a service person, last worked on Friday, April 17. The member was tested on Monday, April 20 and received the positive diagnosis on Wednesday, April 22.
• Confirmed Case 2: The member, a coach technician, last worked on Wednesday, April 15. The member developed symptoms on Friday, April 17 and tested positive on Wednesday, April 22.

I spoke to both members today who are recovering at home.

ATU Local 113 is reiterating its demands for serious and decisive action to stop this potential outbreak at Queensway Garage from becoming a lethal cluster and spreading any further. We’ve laid out a set of reasonable demands to contain the outbreak and meet the health needs of each ATU Local 113 member which include:

• All maintenance workers on all shifts at Queensway must be immediately tested.
• 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. We are demanding that the TTC adopts the same precautionary measures and implements all of our demands to ensure the safety of all passengers and transit workers.

Please contact your shop steward or board member for more information.

These two latest confirmed cases mark the 21^st and 22^nd ATU Local 113 members who have tested positive for COVID-19. Four TTC employees who are not ATU Local 113 members have also tested positive bringing the total number of COVID-19 positive TTC employees to 26.

Please practice social distancing as much as possible before, during and after your shifts – and stay home if you feel unwell.

In solidarity,

Carlos Santos
President, ATU Local 113

ATU Local 113 President Carlos Santos’ response to TTC CEO Rick Leary saying the TTC could cut service and layoff workers:

“Dedicated TTC workers have been on the frontlines since the coronavirus crisis began. And now, the TTC could layoff the same heroes who are providing a critical service for our city. Layoffs would be a complete insult to TTC workers who have helped carry our city by providing dedicated service for essential workers during the pandemic – and without basic PPE from the TTC for weeks.

Service cuts will hurt low-income, frontline workers who are taking care of the sick, stocking grocery store shelves and providing other critical services during the pandemic. Not only will reduced service make it harder for essential workers to get to work, cutting service will also exacerbate crowding on the TTC and risk spreading the coronavirus to those most vulnerable. ATU Local 113 calls on the provincial and federal governments to protect essential workers during this crisis and properly fund public transit.”

Toronto Star: TTC CEO says COVID crisis could force layoffs, more transit service cuts

Sisters and Brothers,

We learned that another ATU Local 113 member, a bus operator from the TTC’s Arrow Road Division, has tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) today.

I spoke with the member who is self-isolating at home and wished them a full recovery on behalf of all ATU Local 113 Sisters and Brothers.

The member’s last shift was on Thursday, April 2. The member was tested on Saturday, April 18 and received the positive results on Monday, April 20.

Please contact your shop steward or board member for more information.

This member’s diagnosis marks the 20^th ATU Local 113 member who has tested positive for COVID-19. Three TTC staff have also tested positive.

Please practice social distancing as much as possible before, during and after your shifts – and stay home if you feel unwell.

In solidarity,

Carlos Santos
President, ATU Local 113

Sisters and Brothers,

We received news today that a TTC bus operator from the Malvern Division has tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The member’s last shift was on Sunday, April 12. The member was tested on Thursday, April 16 and received the positive test on Saturday, April 18.

Please contact your shop steward or board member for more information.

This member’s diagnosis marks the 19^th ATU Local 113 member who has tested positive for COVID-19. Three TTC staff have also tested positive.

Please practice social distancing as much as possible before, during and after your shifts – and stay home if you feel unwell.

In solidarity,

Carlos Santos
President, ATU Local 113