The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 265 is working with Santa Clara County health officials to set up pop-up COVID-19 testing for frontline workers and their families at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA.)
Testing has already taken place at two of the agency’s five divisions, with more than 300 employees tested in the last two weeks.
“Some of our folks weren’t getting tested for whatever reason,” said John Courtney, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, in an interview with San Jose Spotlight. “But when we bring it to work, they’re already here, they’re ready to go.”
VTA employs roughly 2100 people, 1500 of whom are operators, mechanics and other jobs represented by ATU Local 265.
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Cindy Chavez, who is the outgoing VTA Board Chair, helped arrange the on-site testing in her continued work with Santa Clara County health officials to encourage frontline essential workers to test for COVID-19 once a month.
“As we think about making sure that people in our community are safe, even as the vaccine comes on board…we need to make sure people are getting tested as often as possible…frontline workers in particular,” Chavez stated at a news conference held regarding the testing. “And so making sure we can be where workers are is really what this is about.”
Advocating for regular COVID-19 testing is part of VTA’s commitment to keep workers and passengers safe, in addition to the many safety measures the agency has taken to keep trains and buses clean and sanitized. Masks and hand sanitizer are also available to passengers on board VTA vehicles, and passenger counts are restricted to ensure social distancing.
Earlier this fall, VTA joined other San Francisco Bay Area transit agencies signing on to the Bay Area Healthy Transit Plan, outlining a host of measurable commitments to keep employees and passengers safe.
Future pop-up test sites are planned for the VTA’s other Operating Divisions to make it more convenient for front line workers to get tested.