March 17 -- Coronavirus Update

MARCH 17 --  Transport Workers Union Local 100 President Tony Utano is calling on the MTA to arrange testing for transit workers who are “presumptively positive” and those at their work locations that medical experts say also should be tested.
 
Bus and subway workers move millions of people a day. They are cleaning and sanitizing trains, buses, stations and other heavily used areas around the clock.

“We are on the front-lines and they want to keep us on the front-lines so hospital workers, nursing home staff, first-responders and others can get to their critical jobs,” Local 100 President Tony Utano said. “It’s absolutely vital that we do everything we can to identify any transit workers who are infected so they can be isolated and prevent them to every extent possible from spreading the illness to the co-workers and the public.”
 
As of Tuesday 5 p.m., the state Department of Health has not notified the MTA of any Local 100 members who tested positive for coronavirus. There are cases of workers who demonstrated symptoms and at the direction of medical personnel self-quarantined; they are awaiting test results from the State Health Department. We are defining someone as “presumptively positive” if a doctor has determined they may have the virus and/or directed they be tested.
 
There have been incidents of transit workers who self-quarantined because they recently traveled to a hot-spot country but they either did not develop the virus or they are waiting for test results.
 
TWU Local 100 is also making the following demands of the MTA:
 
* Immediately establish a 1-800 number for NYC Transit workers with health questions and concerns to call and get answers from trained medical staff.
 
* Establish a number for transit workers to call and report a lack of hand sanitizer at their work facility or reporting location. Local 100 wants copies of those reports to spot check and ensure follow-up
 
TWU Local 100’s Stations Department, meanwhile, is launching a regular survey in which elected union officers and staff will call each booth and ask the Station Agent on duty if the appropriate supplies are present. If not, the Department will demand management correct the situation.

Photos: The union's top leadership met today to formulate new demands to management.