TTC union warned against shot resistance
Stance on vaccine mandate could push riders out, advocates say
Joel Greenberg is exactly the kind of transit user the TTC is hoping to win back once COVID-19 subsides.
A regular bus and subway rider before the pandemic, Greenberg, an artistic director who lives near Bay and Bloor, has only used transit a handful of times since the crisis hit.
He’d start riding again if he felt it was safe, which is why he was dismayed to hear the TTC workers’ union come out against mandatory vaccines for transit employees this week. He said the union’s stance will force riders into the “impossible position” of trying to guess whether the person driving their vehicle is at higher risk of spreading the virus.
“There’s no sign getting on the bus saying this is a vaccinated bus or an unvaccinated bus,” he said. “This would absolutely push me away from using the TTC.”
As Toronto’s transit agency continues to struggle with historically low ridership as a result of COVID-19, experts and advocates are warning that Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113’s fight against the organization’s new vaccine mandate could undermine public confidence in the transportation system and hamper efforts to get passenger volumes back to pre-pandemic levels.
A year and a half after the crisis hit, TTC ridership is still only at about 40 per cent of normal and the agency budgeted for a $725-million loss in fare revenue in 2021.
According to Matti Siemiatycki, interim director of the School of Cities at the University of Toronto, there’s a chance for the TTC to bring back customers this fall as more residents return to school and work. But they will only return if they feel the system is safe, which is why the TTC has implemented policies like mandatory masks, enhanced vehicle cleaning and crowd management.
He said the union is making a mistake in opposing mandatory vaccines for transit workers. “It’s about protecting workers and the safety of the travelling public … as we bring back this really critical public service,” he said.
Transit advocacy group TTCriders also said the union is taking the wrong approach. In a statement, executive director Shelagh Pizey-Allen said while increased service and lower fares would also woo back passengers, a vaccine mandate is an important tool “because it will keep riders and workers safe.”
The TTC released details of its vaccine policy Tuesday. Workers must confirm their COVID-19 inoculation status to management by Sept. 20 and be fully vaccinated by Oct. 30. While there are limited exemptions on human rights or medical grounds, the TTC says employees must follow the policy “as a condition of employment.”
In an effort to block the policy, Local 113 has asked its members to refuse to disclose their status. The union, which represents close to 12,000 TTC workers, argues vaccination status is personal health information and says it will defend members’ right to make “personal health decisions.”
How much support the union’s position has among its members isn’t clear. The TTC says its own internal surveys indicate more than 85 per cent of employees have received at least one dose and, as of Wednesday afternoon, about 1,600 employees, or roughly one tenth of its workforce, had provided information about their vaccination status.
TTC employees who spoke to the Star said while there is a vocal group that opposes mandatory vaccines, many workers will co-operate with the policy to protect public health.
Asked whether the TTC is concerned Local 113’s position could make it harder to win back riders, agency spokesperson Shabnum Durrani said in a statement that since announcing its intention to implement a mandate last month, “our employees and our customers have been very supportive.”