Transit union demands stricter mask enforcement to protect drivers
Posted November 27, 2020 3:04 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The union representing many workers at TransLink says there needs to be stricter enforcement of penalties so people will take mask requirements more seriously.
Unifor’s Gavin McGarrigle says masks are there to protect everyone on public transit, but transit workers are still facing verbal confrontations and risks of assault.
“The driver’s job is to drive and they need those extra resources on the buses, a visible presence to make sure people take it seriously,” he tells NEWS 1130. “On the ground, in the depot, on the bus, security and police presence, making sure that won’t be tolerated, and that there will be enforcement there.”
.@UniforTheUnion is calling for additional transit security resources in light of the latest #COVID19 mask requirements. Since the $230 fine went into effect, Unifor says it wants a stricter enforcement of penalties in order for the requirements to be taken seriously.
— Ria Renouf ???? (@riarenouf) November 27, 2020
TransLink announced Friday it was expanding its mask policy following provincial health orders requiring masks in indoor public places.
McGarrigle argues the union’s members shouldn’t be responsible for ensuring commuters take the mandate seriously.
“It tends to flare up from time to time, and then it’ll die down, but there’s a level of tension there where the consistent message we’ve been hearing from the drivers is that they really would like to have more visible security there to take any pressure off of them.”
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McGarrigle says the union is in constant communication with TransLink and Transit Police, and he hopes the public will do their part to ensure everyone stays safe on their commute.
I asked @gavinmcgarrigle what ‘stricter enforcement’ would look like. He’s pointing to visibility of enforcement. “On the ground, in the depot, on the bus, security and police presence, making sure that won’t be tolerated, and that there will be enforcement there.”
— Ria Renouf (@riarenouf) November 27, 2020
Transit Police can issue a $230 fine for people defying mask orders, and it seems most people follow the rules. About 95 per cent of passengers have been wearing masks on transit, which first became mandatory in Metro Vancouver in August, according to TransLink.
TransLink has instructed passengers not to enforce the mask policy themselves.
In August, the union said something similar, saying it would prefer to leave enforcement to Transit Supervisors or the police, as it believes no transit operator should have to risk their own safety confronting what it called “anti-mask crusaders.”
Unifor represents 6,000 members with Translink and B.C. Transit across the province.
