Transit Workers Are Essential — And We Deserve to Be Heard
By Horace Marves
METRO bus drivers and mechanics have proudly stood on the frontlines since the beginning of the COVID crisis, ensuring that riders have access to public transportation across the region, in spite of the significant health risks we face.
But, in reporting on a spike in coronavirus infections in our ranks, the Chronicle decided to focus on the voices of those who would blame victims for their illness, instead of putting workers’ voices front and center.
In an article that ran on January 16th titled “Off-duty exposure blamed for spike in virus cases at Metro,” Metro spokesman Jerome Gray baselessly claimed that the recent increases were due to “personal gatherings outside of work”.
Blaming victims for contracting this deadly virus has been the go to for far too many employers throughout this crisis. Essential workers get thanked and congratulated for risking our lives every day to keep Houston moving during the crisis, but those words ring hollow
How do we fix this? Worker voices must be heard. In the piece, the author spoke to Metro and to riders, but neglected to include the perspectives of the subject of the piece — the transit workers who have been directly impacted by the spike in infections.
This is an all-to-common problem; we formed our union, Transit Workers Local 260, to ensure that management didn’t speak for us. When we see safety violations, we speak out to ensure that it is rectified and all of us — riders and workers — are safe. And when we see our brothers and sisters slandered in the press, we call it out for what it is — and demand justice.
Sadly there are currently 428 employees and 87 contractors infected. We know most of our members are conscientious, going out of necessity to acquire the essentials of life and going to work.
Local 260 continuously emphasizes the importance of social distancing and use of PPE. Management has provided PPE on an ongoing basis but the reckless denial of the occupational hazard of the Coronavirus and shifting the blame for increased infection rate on employees is a slap in the face.
The high rate of contact our members experience with the public is a contributor to the increased rate of infections at Metro, and Local 260 recognizes their service and the dangers of working in the COVID-19 environment. Many of our members are required to serve, per their job description in less than ideal conditions, overcrowded LRT’s (Light Rail Trains), overcrowded buses, and overcrowded loading platforms; these we believe are contributory to the increased rate of infection at Metro and not caused by irresponsible acts of our public sector servants.
Workers’ voices have been silenced for far too long, and this crisis has shone a spotlight on how deadly that can be. Most of our members spend every day on the frontlines, listening to the needs of the public and fighting daily to check the spread of the Coronavirus while providing essential services to the greater Houston Metropolitan Transit Authorities service area.
If we are going to find a way forward, we must listen to the perspectives of essential workers.
Horace Marves is the President of Transit Workers Union Local 260, which represents workers at the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO)
