Calgary Transit Union Call to Action to Defend the Rights of Workers and the Public InterestLocal 583 of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) has launched a campaign calling on Calgary City Council to reverse Calgary Transit's decision to contract out cleaning and fueling of buses and C-trains. ATU Local 583 President Mike Mahar points out that since the beginning of the pandemic the transit workers have stepped into the void time and time again, advocating for safe practices, coming to work despite the fear of COVID-19, and taking steps to make the system safe. In doing so they have defended their rights and the rights of all. The workers have shown that they are the essential factor in the economy.
"As a fraternity, where the employer has fallen short, we have stepped up. Whether it was their inability to provide personal sanitizer bottles or masks due to the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) lock down or an ill thought out plan to maintain front door loading in the initial phase of the pandemic, our actions as a whole, were a big part of the success of keeping public transit moving. "I remember the first night in March when CEMA declared a local emergency. Our service lane attendants were there until 4:30 in the morning disinfecting buses. This went on for weeks until Calgary Transit was able to adjust the sign up to closer reflect service demands and reallocate staff to spread the work out. All this took place as the workers were being threatened with the contracting out of the very jobs they were busting their tails doing to keep us all safe. Just stop for a second and think how that must weigh on their hearts." "But Calgary Transit isn't just experimenting with the lives and income of our Service Lane members. They are gambling with our safety and the safety of the public. They are literally gambling with the fragile continuance of public transit during a pandemic... "This is a deadly pandemic. Who decides to gamble on sanitization services during a deadly pandemic? If our system shuts down because Bee-Clean fails as they've done with the shelters and stations, there will be fingers pointed and the fingers will be loaded." Calgary Transit Riders Deserve Safe Transportation!Local 583 is calling on working people and all Calgarians to make their voices heard and demand that City Council reverse this reckless decision.
"Unlike a dirty shelter which you can possibly avoid, this will result in poorly serviced and biohazard-exposed vehicles that you will have to board or find other transportation. This is not just a work place issue, this is a public health issue. Keeping public transit running during a public health emergency has taken a great team effort by thousands of dedicated employees. "The system remains extremely vulnerable and contracting out the disinfecting of these vehicles during a deadly pandemic is a reckless and irresponsible experiment that puts the riding public at risk." Calgarians can "Make the Call" to their city councillor or to Mayor Naheed Nenshi, by going to the ATU Local 583 website. The union is also carrying out a letter writing campaign asking city council to reconsider its decision. "It's very easy to think that a single person's message isn't going to make an impact," Mahar says. "But when a group of us gets together and we have a unified voice that DOES make a difference and does get noticed."
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Writing
in the Local 583 newsletter, Mahar said, "For five months while between
75 per cent and 85 per cent of the general public has avoided riding
public transit, you have been fixing, disinfecting, scheduling and
operating public transit as front-line workers. Our fears of
contracting COVID-19 are no less than those that have chosen not to
ride. Our risks of serious health consequences are no less than those
that have chosen not to ride. Yet in spite of these fears, you've
continued to soldier on. 
"By
mid October, the same company that has failed miserably in cleaning our
shelters and stations -- and received thousands of complaints for
shoddy work -- will clean and service all our public transit vehicles.
This will happen as we enter into what is expected to be a second wave
and likely surge in COVID-19 cases.