TRIMET: STOP THE LAYOFFS AND CUTS!

As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads in Portland and across the United States, the members of ATU Local 757 have been working to provide service for people with disabilities and others for whom transit is essential to living independently. We are asking that TriMet immediately cease with the announced layoffs and work with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) to save jobs.

Paratransit employees are facing an unprecedented threat to their economic security and are fearful they will not be able to put food on the table and pay their bills. The loss of private health insurance when work that comes with layoffs will expose them to even greater hardship, both medical and financial. Their paychecks raise families, pay rent, provide groceries for loved ones, and support the tax base we all rely on for services.

TriMet has the funding necessary to stop layoffs. They have been allocated approximately $185 million in CARES Act funding from the federal government. These funds represent the previous year’s federal allotment plus 2.8%. We are asking that TriMet not abandon the working people who make Portland a great place to live. Work with the ATU to find a solution to stop any future layoffs and cuts. There is plenty of work to be done, and the community should not have to suffer.

I authorize my photo and name made public supporting this petition.