ATU Local 1578
100 Hale St. 
Lowell, MA 01852

First Transit Management Co.

General Manager

George Anastas 
100 Hale St. 
Lowell, MA 01852

Dear Mr. Anastas,

The members of ATU Local 1578 are writing to you to demand that our health and safety concerns be taken seriously by you and your management team. We further demand that you meet with us and our union representatives to resolve these concerns.

 This pandemic has already killed more Americans than died during the entire Vietnam war, and we do not want to become casualties due to your lack of concern for our safety. Dozens of Amalgamated Transit Union families are grieving the loss of their husbands, wives, sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers. Our lives matter and the lives of our loved ones matter!

 Public transit workers are classified as essential workers, and we are on the front lines delivering essential services to the riding public during this crisis. Operators are contracting COVID-19 at a rate higher than the general public due to a lack of adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), proper cleaning and disinfecting of work equipment and locations, and training in the use and disposal of contaminated PPE, among other things. Operators are not only contracting the virus; transit workers are dying from the virus across North America, including here in the Northeast.

 Governmental agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control, as well as scientists and other public health experts, agree that when proper PPE and social distancing practices are combined, the risks of contracting this deadly virus are seriously diminished. Therefore, we demand an immediate meeting for your management team to answer the following questions:

 1. Does the LRTA and FTMC firmly believe they are providing a safe work environment and adequate PPE for the members of Local 1578?
2. Does LRTA have a per employee price threshold when determining the feasibility of providing proper PPE such as N95 masks, face shields and non-permeable coveralls, due to potential costs? If so, what is that price point? 
3. Has the company developed strict policies or procedures to assist workers who are dealing directly with the public to help minimize the risks of exposure to both employees and the riding public? If so, what are those policies? 
4. If the company has such policies and procedures, is the company strictly enforcing them? If so, how? 

5. Under OSHA guidelines, there are steps provided to limit the spread of COVID-19 (29 CFR 1910 sub part 1). Has this company implemented all of these steps to limit the spread? If not, when does it intend to complete that process? 
6. Under OSHA guidelines, has the Employer done a full Hazardous Assessment of all work environments? When was the assessment completed? Can we see the results? 
7. Under OSHA guidelines, can the company confirm that they have done all that they can to reduce the workers risks of exposure to COVID-19? If so, please itemize the measures taken. 
8. Under OSHA guidelines there are 4 Exposure levels. At which level would the company classify the workers’ risk and exposure?

9. Is this company aware that the CARES Act includes funding and financing, as well as grants, for public transit to cover much of the costs of the aforementioned policies?   
10. Is the company aware of the date that this eligibility went into effect and for how long these funds will be available? 
11. Under the CARES Act, there is the Emergency Relief program rule (49CFR part 602). Is the company familiar with this rule and its application? 
12. Under the CARES Act, is the company aware of the eligible activities included under the rule stated above? 
13. Is LRTA aware that the CARES Act provides funds for wages, pensions, and other expenses to assist in their operation of public transportation during the pandemic? 
14. Under the CARES Act, if the transit waives fare for riders, can the transit system use CARES Act funding for operations that fares would cover? 
15. Is LRTA aware that the CARES Act provides funds to procure appropriate PPE? 
16. Is LRTA aware the FTA has emphasized that CARES Act funding can be used for administrative leave for employees who are self-quarantined or quarantined under doctor’s orders? 

17. Does LRTA think that not providing a written guarantee of financial assistance to all employees directly affected by the virus is in the best interest of the riding public and other employees? 
18. Has the LRTA consider that employees, many of whom are financially constrained, may feel it necessary to report to work even if they are symptomatic? Do you believe that is a worthwhile risk to take and that the riding public would agree? 
19. Under the CARES Act, how much money did LRTA apply for? 
20. How much money has the LRTA received from the CARES Act? 
21. Is the LRTA going to apply for more money from the CARES Act?

 In closing, we want to work with your management team to address these very real concerns. However, we are committed and prepared to use all legal actions available to us to demonstrate that our lives and the lives of our loved ones matter to us, as they should matter to you.

 We request a reply to this letter by May 29, 2020 to discuss these issues. Your reply should include potential meeting dates, and a list of management attendees, as well as updates on the requested items above.

 Sincerely,

Lisa Lipomi Union President and 
The Members of ATU Local 1578

 

 

Local 1578 Covid19 Safe Campagne

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