The union representing Transit Windsor employees has taken issue with a plan to shut down service due to COVID-19 concerns.
The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) released a statement Friday criticizing Mayor Drew Dilkens for authorizing a plan to shut down Transit Windsor service as of the end of business Sunday night. Union President John Di Nino responded to a quote attributed to the mayor, which stated that the union would not allow city employees onto the buses to clean and sanitize them.
"The mayor may have an issue with the pushback he received from the ATU over the use of non-transit workers to clean buses, but the union was merely protecting its members' rights," said Di Nino in the statement. "This is an anti-union reprisal at the worst possible time."
Dilkens, for his part, said that certainly is not the case. The mayor told BlackburnNewsWindsor.com Friday evening that the use of city employees to clean the buses was not a dealbreaker.
"That was one of the considerations where I said, 'In light of all the things in front of us, and the fact that I can't clean the buses properly, all of these things taken together lead me to believe that we need to take a pause,'" said Dilkens. "We need to protect the community."
Di Nino went on to state that ATU members have been working around the clock to keep the buses clean, and that the city's decision to suspend service helps nobody.
"An abrupt decision by the mayor to shut down Transit Windsor, without consultation... left thousands of people who rely on public transit stranded, including critical workers in essential services, vulnerable passengers, and public transit employees," said Di Nino in the release.
Dilkens said he understands the inconvenience any suspension of service will bring, but public safety and health are tantamount. He also denied that the decision to shut the service down was spur-of-the-moment.
"There has to be a reasonable runway for people to have notice, for people to be able to go out and get groceries and do the things they need to do, so we left it open all day Friday, all day Saturday, and all day Sunday," said Dilkens. "Seventy-two hours for folks to rely on transit to get the necessities of life, to be able to get through the next two weeks."
Transit Windsor buses are scheduled to shut down after service on Sunday and remain closed until at least April 13. The situation will be reviewed as needed.