Hit Hard by Covid-19, Transit Workers Call for Shutdowns

The life of a transit worker was never easy in the United States. Then along came coronavirus. To enable the livelihoods of other essential workers, thousands of bus drivers, track repairers, yard masters, cleaners and others are still showing up to their jobs amid the pandemic.

But the death toll among the ranks of front-line public transportation workers, who are considered part of the “essential workforce” in most U.S. cities, suggests they are acutely vulnerable to the virus. In New York City, 50 MTA workers have died as of April 13, more than triple the combined mortality rates of the New York City police and fire departments so far. A memorial page by the Amalgamated Transit Union shows that at least of 16 working members have died in other cities, including Boston, Detroit, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., and St. Louis. The Transport Workers Union has stated that at least seven of its members have died and that hundreds more have tested positive for the virus.