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TARTA Workers Join Rally for “Strike for Black Lives”
By Sojourner’s Truth Staff
The Amalgamated Transit
Union (ATU) Local 697 of Toledo joined the rally for the
“Strike for Black Lives” on Monday, July 20 at Advanced
Healthcare on Garden Lake Parkway. The Strike was a call for
government and corporate America to confront the systemic
racism and oppression of communities of color that has
plagued society and the economy.
The local action was part
of a nationwide protest by the members of ATU, as a call
went out for thousands of workers to stand down from work
for eight minutes and 46 seconds in memory of George Floyd,
Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain and other Black people killed
by police around the nation.
In Toledo, ATU Local 697,
which represents TARTA workers, emphasized the risk that
their members work every day on the job to provide essential
transportation across the metropolitan area since the
pandemic began.
As COVID-19 rages and
states begin to re-open, the pandemic has taken a far
greater toll of communities of color, killing dozens of
black men and women in ATU’s own ranks. They are dying in
greater numbers because governments and employers see no
need to protect the working class essential heroes on the
frontline, said ATU International President John Costa. “We
must dismantle the racist policies that target our
communities to ensure all workers are healthy, safe and
secure no matter their race, immigration status, gender, job
or where they live,” he added.
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