After a COVID-19 outbreak has put a strain on the Golden Gate Transit bus drivers, the group has voted nearly unanimously to authorize a strike.
In the last month, 30 of the transit agency's bus drivers have been taken out of commission due to COVID-19.
Golden Gate primarily runs in San Francisco, as well as Marin, Sonoma, and Contra Costa County. But the past month’s dearth of drivers has only led to about 3% of daily trips being canceled, due in large part to healthy drivers being stretched thin.
"We certainly hope that all of our employees return healthy and have a speedy recovery," said Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz, a spokesperson at the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District. "We'll continue to adjust service as needed, as we navigate the end of this surge."
But the bus drivers feel that current procedures are straining already overworked employees. Since September of 2020, the agency has lost 60 employees, without replacing any of them.
"When you lose so many people and you're not able to gain even one back, all of that extra work makes it very difficult on the members to get up every day and get in that seat," said Shane Weinstein, the president of the union, ATU Local, representing current and retired bus operators with Golden Gate Transit. "This is not an easy job."
Currently, a date for the strike has not yet been set, but both sides are aiming to avoid it, if possible.
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