Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1447 protested Thursday outside Transit Authority of River City (TARC) offices in Louisville, Kentucky, to call for hazard pay and stronger safety measures to protect members during the COVID-19 pandemic. Local 1447 President Theo Hamilton activated 75 bus drivers to participate at the rally, and the Kentucky AFL-CIO and other affiliated unions participated in solidarity. “This virus is like a bullet. It has no eyes. It’s catching everybody,” Hamilton told WDRB News. “A lot of my drivers are afraid—afraid to death—to come to work.” Five members of the local union have already been infected with the coronavirus.