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What is SMART-TD on Long Island, N.Y., doing during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Sheet Metal Local 137 manufactured signs thanking TD members who continue to work on Long Island Rail Road through this pandemic. “Thanks to Dante Dano and Pete Scaglione,” said General Chairperson Anthony Simon. “They have been so supportive to the TD LIRR, I cannot express enough how we are all in this together.”
“Thank you to GC John McCloskey for his help and support in getting signs and with locations. The partnership is just unbelievable and appreciated,” Simon said. The reaction from the membership after the signs went up has been overwhelming
New York City and its bordering suburbs and counties have been among the hardest-hit in the nation by the coronavirus due to its density and the demands of the city’s economic engine driven by the financial and business districts.
Like most transportation systems, the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) has been deemed an essential service for health care workers, emergency responders, police officers, firefighters, city and state essential workers and countless other professions.
A Long Island Rail Road conductor works during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here are some of the ways union leadership on Long Island and SMART members continue to deliver.

  • While required to continue working, tremendous safety efforts have been achieved through the issuance of proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), manpower manipulations to allow for social distancing, constant disinfecting efforts to protect work locations, paid administrative sick leave to accommodate the hundreds of positive tested members and associated quarantines, and so many additional safety precautions to protect workers.
  • Members have been working around the clock cleaning and sanitizing over 1,000 train cars on an aggressive schedule, and our maintenance of equipment workers are continuing to inspect and repair our equipment to all of the standards outlined by federal authorities.
  • Engineering forces in the track and building and bridge ranks are continuing to build and maintain the system during this health crisis. Huge projects such as the over $11 billion East Side Access project to allow service to New York City’s Grand Central Station in addition to three other major city terminals continue. The mainline third track expansion continues along the central corridor of Long Island to add to the over 700 miles of track and 124 stations.
  • Front-line train crews are continuing to provide a modified essential service plan requiring flexibility, dedication and sacrifice working in vulnerable conditions. They are providing safe service and collecting whatever fares possible as safely as they can during the pandemic.
  • Union officials are providing administrative support to the varying work locations hit hardest by the virus to ensure crew dispatching, payroll and PPE issuance are all expedited appropriately.
  • After more than 60 COVID-19-related deaths at the MTA, the governing agency of the LIRR, SMART leadership has negotiated an additional $500,000 death benefit package to include health benefits for the beneficiary of any COVID-19 related deaths within our membership.
  • Union leadership has worked closely with agency heads and management to provide whatever benefits possible during this extremely troubling time, such as priority COVID testing, relaxed and paid sick leave rules, relaxed time keeping and travel arrangements, etc.
  • Union leadership is lobbying for additional federal funding needed to recoup billions of dollars of revenue lost during this crippling time.
  • General Chairperson Anthony Simon has worked closely with General Chairperson John McCloskey on the mechanical side in achieving protections and benefits for all SMART workers.

Long Island Rail Road workers pose for a picture after cleaning a car during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those are some of the collective efforts of GCA-505 in Babylon, N.Y., which represents SMART-TD’s workers on LIRR in a region hit hard by the coronavirus with tens of thousands of deaths reported there.
But the GCA’s leaders insist it’s just what they do, and what members expect from them.
“During catastrophic times is when leaders need to step up, lead and not hide,” said Vice General Chairperson Vinnie Tessitore. “Under General Chairperson Anthony Simon’s leadership, and through a dedicated team of union officials, we are out front making tough decisions and demands to secure and protect our workforce.”
Simon, also a SMART-TD alternate vice president, said it has taken a total team effort and cooperation from all to continue to endure the challenges of the coronavirus.
“I could not be prouder of our elected union officials and our membership for their hard work and sacrifices during this pandemic,” Simon said. “I am out in the field every day with our railroad family as they continue to work through this crisis, and my foot will remain on the gas to achieve what they have earned for their heroic efforts.”
Long Island Rail Road workers tend to the track during the coronavirus pandemic.
SMART Transportation Division President Jeremy Ferguson said that those efforts are shining through by protecting both employee and public alike and minimizing disruption.
“It’s a relief to finally receive some good news! On a normal day and in normal times, SMART-TD’s members and leadership in the New York City/New Jersey area have demands placed on them that often can exceed those of other metropolitan areas just because of the size of the agencies we serve and the population, but as always, our SMART-TD membership and our officers on the LIRR never cease to amaze me.” Ferguson said. “They are the toughest and most resilient Brotherhood that, I, too, am so very proud to have the opportunity to work with and represent as President of the Transportation Division. SMART-TD on the LIRR is leading the way on every front and thankfully giving the membership a solid footing to defend themselves from this disaster.
“Anthony Simon and Vinnie Tessitore have stepped up to make sure LIRR keeps trains clean and running for public and the workers alike so that what is considered ‘essential’ stays running. They’re an example of what solidarity can do — for all of labor to see. I do want everyone to know we’re with you in this, and we will all be there together to the end.”

In protest of what he said was gross misrepresentation by New Jersey Transit (NJT) of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SMART Transportation Division General Chairperson Jerome Johnson has resigned from NJT’s coronavirus safety task force.
Johnson, also president of Local 60 (Newark, N.J.), sent a letter April 6 to the carrier, saying that NJT had been unresponsive to concerns about the cleanliness of trains and that they were not being cleaned as frequently as NJT stated they would.
“I provided NJ Transit with pictures and train numbers, especially on weekends, train cleanings are just not being done properly,” Johnson told NJ.com reporter Larry Higgs. “Protocols are not being followed. Equipment being clean every 24 hour is false. I have pictures, videos and complaints.”
Johnson also said that the carrier did not provide personal protective equipment (PPE) in a timely manner and that the carrier’s coronavirus safety task force did not convene for a two-week period with labor representatives present.
The first active SMART-TD member reported to have died from the coronavirus was Brother Joseph Hansen, a member of Johnson’s local who was an NJT conductor.
“I’m not a union official who doesn’t want NJ Transit to succeed. When they succeed, we succeed,” Johnson told Higgs. “The protocols in place aren’t being followed. My resignation should speak volumes.”
Since late March, SMART-TD continues to field hundreds of reports from the labor workforce in all sectors it represents of carriers not following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus.
Members are encouraged to continue to report these conditions, which place workers, their families and public alike all at risk, especially as federal agencies have issued safety advisories rather than enforceable regulations during the pandemic.
Read the full story on NJ.com.

On April 15, SMART Transportation Division Local 61 (Philadelphia, Pa.) announced that conductor Michael A. Hill, 58, of Glassboro, N.J., died from the coronavirus.

Local 61 Legislative Representative Nichelle Miles poses with member Michael Hill. It was announced April 15 that Brother Hill passed away from COVID-19.
Brother Hill was a 30-year member of SMART-TD and worked for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA). He is the second active member fatality for SMART-TD from the virus following New Jersey Transit conductor Joseph Hansen, whose death was reported a week ago.
SMART Transportation Division President Jeremy Ferguson called General Chairperson Bernie Norwood to offer the condolences of all of SMART to the Hill family and Local 61. General Chairperson Norwood relayed to him that “Brother Hill was a great member that was no nonsense and always had a smile on his face. He really enjoyed being with his co-workers, attending football games for the Philadelphia Eagles and playing cards. Brother Hill will surely be missed.”
General Chairperson Norwood was also thankful for the assistance of UTUIA Field Supervisor Chris Malley, who is working with the family to ensure the fraternal UTUIA life insurance benefits Brother Hill had are handled quickly.
Brother Hill was on the front lines moving passengers as an essential employee and was doing so without all the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that should have been provided by SEPTA. As news of this second fatality reached him, Ferguson participated in an AFL-CIO-hosted conference call to news media April 15 taking to task federal agencies that he said have not gone nearly far enough in protecting workers during the coronavirus pandemic, even as our union’s death toll from COVID-19 increases.
The union has sent letters to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) seeking emergency orders that establish definitive regulations to protect employees. The FRA has only issued a safety advisory when they have the power to regulate, while FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams did not even respond to a letter sent by SMART-TD, which is a slap in the face to labor, President Ferguson said during the call.
“I’m appalled that we can’t even get a response. It is not like we are asking for anything extravagant. Just what the CDC has stated is the bare requirements to ensure a safe work environment for both our members and the general public that use these services.” Ferguson said. “It’s paramount that we get this fixed at all levels of transportation, and quickly. Enough is enough.”
Other labor leaders participating in the conference included Transport Workers Union of America President John Samuelson, Amalgamated Transit Union President John Costa and AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department President Larry Willis.

All previously declined members and future enrolled members of the SMART-TD Long-Term Voluntary Disability Plan (VDP) now have access to up to $1,000 of guaranteed approved coverage.

North Olmsted, Ohio (April 16, 2020) — In May 2019, the SMART Transportation Division rolled out a new Voluntary Disability Plan (VDP) to all dues-paying members living in the United States and working at least 20 hours per week. This plan, underwritten by Amalgamated Life Insurance Company, was subject to simplified medical underwriting, which led to some members not receiving medical qualification for this important coverage.
SMART leadership has been in negotiations with Amalgamated to resolve this issue, and the company has agreed to provide $1,000 of guaranteed approved coverage to all future enrollees, including those who previously had been medically denied coverage.
This enhancement to the SMART TD Long-Term Disability Plan (VDP) applies to all members who had applied previously and were denied coverage and to all future new enrolled members.
The following conditions will be made effective on Aug. 1, 2020:

  • Those enrolled members must currently be actively at work
  • Members who previously enrolled and were declined may find themselves in a new age group based on the new effective date of coverage. This will impact their premiums.

The $1,000 guaranteed approved benefit plan will have the following design:

  • $1,000/month maximum benefit
  • 180-day elimination period
  • 2-year maximum benefit duration
  • 12/12 pre-existing limitation (pre-existing condition clock will start Aug. 1, 2020)

For more information about the enhanced VDP plan or to enroll, visit www.smart-vltd.com or call the SMART-TD VDP Enrollment Center at 224-770-5328.
About SMART TD: The SMART Transportation Division (SMART-TD) is comprised of approximately 125,000 active and retired members of the former United Transportation Union, who work in a variety of different crafts in the transportation industry. With offices in North Olmsted, Ohio, and Washington, D.C., SMART TD is the largest railroad operating union in North America.
For more information regarding this press release, please contact:
Carl Galdine
224-770-5328
carl@smart-vltd.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio (April 15) — On April 7, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) granted a joint petition filed by the SMART Transportation Division (SMART-TD) and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) to extend time limits in which certain petitions for review must be filed with the Locomotive Engineer Review Board (LERB) and the Operating Crew Review Board (OCRB).
Under FRA regulations governing certification of locomotive engineers, a petition seeking review of a railroad’s decision to deny certification or recertification must be filed with the LERB no more than 180 days after the date of the railroad’s denial decision, and a petition seeking review of a railroad’s decision to revoke certification must be filed with the LERB no more than 120 days after the date of the railroad’s denial decision. Similarly, under FRA regulations governing certification of conductors, a petition seeking review of a railroad’s decision to deny certification or recertification, or to revoke certification, must be filed with the OCRB no more than 120 days after the date of the railroad’s denial decision.
SMART-TD and BLET filed their joint petition on March 30. FRA had previously granted, on March 25, an identical extension for railroads to respond to petitions for review filed with the LERB and the OCRB.
Under the terms of the April 7 waiver, FRA granted temporary emergency relief from the 180- and 120-day filing deadlines, so that the deadline for any petition for review that becomes due to be filed during the duration of the waiver is extended 60 days.
A copy of the unions’ joint petition is available here (PDF).
A copy of the FRA waiver is available here (PDF).

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The SMART Transportation Division is comprised of approximately 125,000 active and retired members of the former United Transportation Union, who work in a variety of crafts in the transportation industry.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen represents nearly 58,000 professional locomotive engineers and trainmen throughout the United States. The BLET is the founding member of the Rail Conference, International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

CLEVELAND, Ohio (April 15) — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on April 10 denied requests submitted by labor Organizations which, if approved, would have provided critical protections for railroad employees during the ongoing national COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, according to the SMART Transportation Division (SMART-TD) and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET).
“Although FRA believes that many safety precautions included in the Petitions could constitute best practices that should be applied in the railroad industry…” said FRA Administrator Ronald Batory in his response to the Organizations, “…FRA does not believe that an emergency order is justified.” Meanwhile, FRA is standing behind its decision to approve sweeping emergency relief requests submitted by rail carriers.
Previously, in an April 2 letter to SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson and BLET President Dennis Pierce, FRA Administrator Batory defended his agency’s approval of a wide-ranging 60-day waiver that suspends or delays scores of critical safety regulations. Yet, nowhere in his letter did Administrator Batory even acknowledge receipt of the unions’ separate requests for Emergency Orders for freight rail service and for passenger/commuter rail service — which were filed jointly by the two unions before the railroads filed their waiver petitions. A copy of his letter is available here (PDF).
In late March, the FRA granted a sweeping petition for a 60-day waiver of scores of critical safety regulations. On March 31, the unions called the waiver “alarming” and demanded clarification from the FRA.
“In their Emergency Relief requests, the carriers placed a strong emphasis on claims that manpower shortages either exist, or may exist, regardless of the fact that thousands of rail employees remain in furlough status,” SMART-TD President Ferguson said. “The FRA’s decision to issue waivers based on these bogus claims is disturbing, especially when the waivers apply to territorial qualifications, hours of service, and scope rules for certain crafts. It’s time to begin recalling furloughed employees and preparing for a worst-case scenario, rather than jeopardizing the safety of our crews, their households, and our communities.”
“It appears that the FRA has done nothing more than rubber-stamp a wish list from the rail carriers, absolving them from enforcing critical safety rules,” BLET President Pierce said. “Regardless of how Administrator Batory now describes FRA’s waiver, it has given a carte blanche invitation to the industry to ignore rules, and it will have a substantial chilling effect on safety if fully applied.”
The FRA has yet to mandate safety protocols to protect the health of railroad workers amid the national COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. In letters dated March 6 and March 20, SMART-TD and the BLET urged the FRA to issue an Emergency Order implementing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines to help mitigate the potential spread of the coronavirus among rail workers. In his April 10 response, FRA Administrator Batory acknowledges that his administration is authorized to issue Emergency Orders when an “unsafe condition or practice, or combination of unsafe conditions and practices, causes an emergency situation involving a hazard of death, personal injury, or significant harm to the environment.” Nonetheless, Batory goes on to advise “…[COVID-19] challenges are not unique to the railroad industry, and thus not the type of rail safety issue where FRA would typically exercise its emergency order authority….” Rather than grant the Organizations’ requests for an Emergency Order, FRA published a Safety Advisory recommending that the railroads develop and implement practices consistent with Federal recommendations and CDC and OSHA guidelines.
“Over the centuries, our nation’s railroads have proven to us time and time again that they are incapable of responsible self-regulation,” President Ferguson said. “The FRA’s Safety Advisory is merely a recommendation to the railroads to provide our members the safe and sanitary working environment that they and their families deserve. This does not inspire confidence that the railroads will actually comply with these guidelines as written, and it will apparently now be up to us as labor to hold them accountable to those standards.”
“This Administration’s refusal to regulate worker safety stands in stark contrast to its actions to appease the railroad industry,” President Pierce said. “On a daily basis, railroad crews are being subjected to conditions that violate the CDC’s best practices for social distancing, sanitation, and cleanliness, and they are not provided the necessary tools to keep themselves safe, such as sanitizers, disinfectants and personal protective equipment. Our members put their lives on the line every day when they go to work, and the FRA must do more to protect their lives and their livelihoods.”

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The SMART Transportation Division is comprised of approximately 125,000 active and retired members of the former United Transportation Union, who work in a variety of crafts in the transportation industry.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen represents nearly 58,000 professional locomotive engineers and trainmen throughout the United States. The BLET is the founding member of the Rail Conference, International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

April 15, 2020

As Trustees of the SMART Voluntary Short Term Disability Plan, we have a responsibility to manage your Plan with care and prudence. We are always concerned with maximizing the benefit of the program for you, particularly in your time of need. We believe this has been accomplished over the years through favorable
changes to the Plan that have directly benefited you as a member.
We are all now facing a pandemic in this country with the spread of COVID-19, also referred to as Coronavirus. This disease has consumed our attention as a nation for weeks now and is a unique challenge for our country and its citizens. We want you as members of the SMART Rail and Bus workforce to know that the Plan is with you and supporting you where it can during this threat. It is for this reason that we are pleased to announce that we have taken immediate action to make it easier for you to qualify for a benefit from the Plan if you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 (Coronavirus). This disease has largely caught our country off guard and we know being afflicted with it can have direct and immediate financial implications for you and your family. The Plan is positioned to help.
Effective with all diagnosed COVID-19 (Coronavirus) disabilities beginning in the months of March, April and May 2020, the Plan’s Elimination Period (Waiting Period) will be waived. Currently, members must be disabled for 21 days before benefits will begin on the 22nd day. This is known as the Elimination Period (Waiting Period). We are waiving this Waiting Period for positive COVID-19 (Coronavirus) disabilities. This change will expedite and increase benefits for approved applicants so that you will have immediate access to money. Currently, the Waiting Period will be reinstated for COVID-19 (Coronavirus) disabilities beginning on and after June 1, 2020.
We are pleased that the Plan can take this action on your behalf. We wish you and your family health and wellness during these trying times.

Sincerely,
Board of Trustees
Mr. Joseph Sellers Jr., General President SMART
Mr. Jeremy Ferguson, President-SMART Transportation Division
Mr. Joseph Powell, General Secretary-Treasurer SMART

The SMART Voluntary Short Term Disability Plan is administered by:
Southern Benefit Administrators, Incorporated
P.O. Box 1449
Goodlettsville, Tennessee 37070-1449
Toll-Free: (844) 880-1071, Fax: (615) 859-0201
View this announcement in PDF form.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced extended deadlines for the filing of certain forms related to union business in a notice recently sent to non-profit organizations.
The Form 990 deadline, normally due on May 15th has been extended to July 15th, 2020. However, IRS updates to tax-exempt searches have been suspended. Therefore, it is important that these completed forms continue to be submitted to the Transportation Division offices for proper recordkeeping in the future.
The mailing addresses for Form 941 tax reports for railroad locals also has changed.
Locals based in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin should mail forms without payment to:
Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
Kansas City, MO 64999-0005
Forms with payment from locals in the above states should be mailed to:
Internal Revenue Service
PO Box 806532
Cincinnati, OH 45280-6532
Locals based in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming should mail forms without payment to:
Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
Ogden, UT 84201-0005
Forms with payment from locals in the above states should be mailed to:
Internal Revenue Service
P.O. Box 932100
Louisville, KY 40293-2100
Automated customer service continues to be provided by the IRS, however manned phone services have been suspended in response to the pandemic. Resources continue to be made available via the IRS.gov website as well.
Additional details are available in the IRS notice which can be reviewed here. (PDF)

The CEO of Norfolk Southern, James A. Squires, recently asked employees for feedback concerning the carrier’s responsiveness to the COVID-19 pandemic. SMART Transportation Division has been gathering reports about how carriers are complying during the outbreak of coronavirus. As one of those employees deemed “essential,” SMART-TD Vice General Chairperson Robert M. Levkulich (GCA-898) sent the following email to NS’s top boss to express his opinion, which is reproduced here with Brother Levkulich’s permission:
Mr. Squires, as the outside world continues to spiral out of control, it feels as if it’s just another day along the railroad. As Transportation employees, we read daily updates that Norfolk Southern has taken to protect its office workers, in Atlanta and Norfolk, but in yard offices around the system, it’s business as usual.
For conductors and engineers operating across Norfolk Southern, we have been categorized as an essential part of our nation’s infrastructure, and essential in the fight against Covid-19. Since conductors and engineers are deemed essential, then so should our safety and well-being.
Norfolk Southern used to prioritize the safety of its employees, but recently the only priority has been to get to a 60 OR. I have visited numerous yard offices, and I’ve seen a lot of things that impressed me. But these were from individuals. I saw a conductor who brought masks his wife and kids had sewn in for his fellow crew members. I saw an engineer carrying in bottles of home made hand sanitizer to distribute in the yard office. And finally I saw a Road Manager that was carrying in an arm full of sanitizer that he used his own money to pay for. These individuals taking care of each other are inspiring stories but are void of Norfolk Southern.
Companies across this nation are stepping up to show their employees they care. As Transportation employees we have seen drastic financial loss due to the “chase for a 60 OR” and now with COVID-19 and closures, we have taken another hit.
Ally Financial took unprecedented steps to show its 8700 employees they care. Below are excerpts from Forbes Magazine article dates 4/6/20:

  • All employees making $100,000 or less in annual base compensation will receive a $1,200 tax-free financial assistance payment to help cover unexpected costs related to working from home.
  • Ally added 100% coverage for diagnostic testing and the associated visit related to COVID-19.
  • Immediate paid medical leave for any employee diagnosed with COVID-19.
  • Expanded childcare support: When daycare or adult/elder care arrangements are disrupted, Ally will cover 30 uses of emergency care.
  • Employees with monthly or quarterly incentive plans were assured that Ally would account for COVID-19 impacts to operations.
  • Access to free mental health professionals, via phone or text, through the Employee Assistance Program.
  • 100% coverage for virtual doctor visits and online health care services.
  • Paid caregiver leave for employees caring for an ill family member.
  • Well-being modules and challenges geared to staying physically and mentally healthy at home

These are great examples of what a company can do do to protect its employees.
So Mr. Squires my question is, What will Norfolk Southern do for its most valuable, and essential employees?

Robert M. Levkulich
Vice General Chairman
Southern Lines GCA-898
SMART Transportation Division

[table id=4 /]
Dear Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, Leader McCarthy, and Leader Schumer:
On behalf of more than 275,000 transit workers across the country, we are writing to bring your attention to the critical, immediate issues our members face during the current public health crisis. Collectively, our members carry more than 90% of all transit riders in the country in every variety and every mode of transportation. We applaud your leadership in passing three essential pieces of legislation over the past six weeks to address the ongoing threat of the coronavirus. As you consider further action to protect Americans during this crisis, we urge you to continue to work together to halt the spread of this terrible disease – especially in our public transit systems.
Our nation’s transit workforce has been on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19. During the pandemic, our members have been classified as essential employees across the country. They have continued to come to work in order to make sure doctors, nurses, police, grocery store clerks, and others can get to their jobs and back home to their families. This has put transit workers at an increased risk of exposure for the coronavirus.
Despite the elevated threat of exposure, these workers have not been given the personal protective equipment (PPE) necessary to prevent transmission of this virus. The grim result has been unfortunate, though predictable: across the country, more than 35 transit workers have died from COVID-19 in the past two weeks and hundreds more have been infected.
In order to protect transit workers, preserve their right to refuse hazardous working conditions (6 USC 1142), and continue essential transit service throughout this crisis, we ask that you take the following actions as quickly as possible.

  • Direct the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to issue emergency, mandatory standards for PPEs for transit workers and cleaning for trains, buses, subway cars, and transit stations. These standards should mirror existing guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), including requiring masks, gloves, and cleaning supplies for frontline workers who interact with the public or clean public spaces.
  • Appropriate at least $750 million in supplemental funding for FTA and transit agency acquisition and deployment of PPEs.
  • Create an emergency grant program for equipment that inhibits transmission of COVID- 19. Eligible expenses should include plastic sheeting barriers, off-site fare boxes, and remote clock-in/clock-out systems.
  • Mandate social distancing guidelines on board public transit. This would include requiring back-door loading/unloading for buses for all mobile passengers and maximum loads for all modes of transit based on vehicle capacity relative to CDC minimums for social distancing.
  • Require employers to compensate workers that have been classified as essential during a public health crisis with at least 1.5 times their normal wage rate (hazard pay).
  • Direct the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue an emergency temporary standard to protect transportation workers during their time at work.
  • Clarify the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to make clear that employers have an obligation to let workers know when they have been exposed to a pandemic-causing disease. The CDC includes this in their guidance as an important piece of limiting the spread of COVID-19.

Taken together, these actions will protect transit workers, riders, and our entire country. These measures will reduce the spread of this disease in our public transit systems, hastening the end of this pandemic and saving lives.
Thank you again for your leadership and your commitment to public safety. We look forward to working with you to address this crisis and implement these solutions as quickly as possible.
Sincerely,
Amalgamated Transit Union
SMART – Transportation Division
Transport Workers Union of America

CC:
The Honorable Nita Lowey
The Honorable Kay Granger
The Honorable Robert Scott
The Honorable Virginia Foxx
The Honorable Frank Pallone
The Honorable Greg Walden
The Honorable Peter DeFazio
The Honorable Samuel Graves
The Honorable Richie Neal
The Honorable Kevin Brady
The Honorable David Price
The Honorable Mario Diaz-Balart
The Honorable Rosa DeLauro
The Honorable Tom Cole
The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton
The Honorable Rodney Davis
The Honorable Richard Shelby
The Honorable Patrick Leahy
The Honorable Michael Crapo
The Honorable Sherrod Brown
The Honorable Charles Grassley
The Honorable Ron Wyden
The Honorable Lamar Alexander
The Honorable Patty Murray
The Honorable Susan Collins
The Honorable Jack Reed
The Honorable David Perdue
The Honorable Robert Menendez
The Honorable Roy Blunt
The Honorable Tammy Baldwin