Santa Cruz METRO: What is Safe for the Workers is Safe for the Public
By SARAH RINGLER
The Santa Cruz Metro Transit System, METRO, is currently working through a historically long-fought conflict between the needs of the worker and the desires of management.
The onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic has brought a dramatic shift in our local transit system. Buses are required to follow CDC, state and local health guidelines and orders, meaning that buses need to be sanitized, riders and drivers must wear face masks, and social distancing must be followed. This limits the number of people who could be on the bus at one time, depending on the size of the bus, to five to twelve riders.
Three months ago, due to fewer riders and the health requirements, METRO cut their services in half, suspended fares, and put buses on weekend schedules. Some buses, like the ones to UCSC, Cabrillo College, and San Lorenzo Valley were suspended. Bus operators continued to get paid but drove half the amount of time – two weeks full time on and two weeks off during that time. According to CEO and General Manager Alex Clifford, “Management felt this was an important safety measure during the initial three months of COVID, a period of uncertainty and a time in which we learned about the virus and the various CDC, State and local guidance and Orders and while we put in place various safety measures for the protection of bus operators and our customers.”
There are many people in our community who depend on our Santa Cruz Metro buses to get to work, medical appointments, shop and more. As a result of social distancing, riders at times endure buses leaving them standing on curb, and with fewer busing running, are unsure of when they will leave or arrive.
In response, on June 24, Clifford announced that buses on July 1, would increase their capacity 50%. The union, Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation Local 0023, SMART, feels this doesn’t follow state and county orders and is not safe for drivers and the public. They filed a Cease and Desist order June 29 that called for a temporary halt to the increase.
Yesterday, July 2, the judge did not grant the union’s request and on July 3, buses will increase the numbers of riders by half. Still concerned about their health and the health of the riders, the union then asked that a state mediator step in to resolve the issue; METRO refused. According to SMART union General Chairperson James Sandoval, even though the union doesn’t support the increase in riders, “we have the resources to provide much more back-up service with all the drivers back.” He also added, "The Union is continuing to do everything possible to protect the health and safey of riders and drivers. Meanwhile, METRO is putting the health and safety of the entire community at risk."
The following METRO board members may be contacted:
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ENTERTAINMENT
Reel Work 2020 on Community TV
By SARAH RINGLER
After 18 years, the Reel Work Labor Film Festival in Santa Cruz will not let its tradition be defeated by Covid-19. On Friday evening, July 3, from 6-8 you can watch Classic Labor Films on Comcast Channel 27 or Charter Channel 73 or
live-stream programming.
Friday, July 3, 6-8 pm
"Morristown: In the Air and Sun"
(Anne Lewis, 2007, 60 min, USA)
East Tennessee, home and destination for immigrant workers.
Reel Work selection 2007
"
A Day's Work, A Day's Pay"
(Jonathan Skurnik, 2002, 57 min, USA)
NYC welfare-to-work program participants organize for better conditions.
The San Francisco Mime Troupe's "
Freedomland"
available online from July 6 - July 19
In 2015, the Tony award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe presented an original tragic farce, "Freedomland,"to critical praise in parks and in theaters across California. It's the story of the lengths a Black man will go to in order to keep his grandson safe and alive in a country that seems to prefer Black men in jail or dead. Pulling no punches while still managing to be comedic, "Freedomland
"
was a brutal, tragic, yet in the Mime Troupe tradition, sardonic look at the results of the War on Drugs, how fear is used as a weapon of racial oppression, and how police violence destroys Black lives in our police state. And now, for the first time, the
Mime Troupe will be making one of its most hard-hitting shows available for a limited time online!
anytime between July 6 to July 19 on
Vimeo
.
See "Freedomland" for FREE but a suggested
donation of $20 is greatly appreciated!
acial"
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Sarah's County Covid-19 Report
The Santa Cruz County Health Department regularly releases data on the current status of Covid-19 in the county. Since June 25, there has been an 22% increase in reported cases. As of July 2, there are 410 cases who have tested positive.
Tested positive by gender:
47% male
52% female
0% other
Tested positive by age:
18 to 64 year-olds, 80% tested positive (33% 18-34, 24% 35-49, 24% 50-64)
65 or older, 10% tested positive
17 and younger, 10% tested positive
Tested positive by jurisdiction:
2% Scotts Valley
5% Capitola
19% Santa Cruz
21% unincorporated
51% Watsonville
Tested positive by ethnicity, rounded off:
5% multiracial or other - 9% of the county's total population
41% white - 56% of the county's total population
54% Hispanic/Latino - 34% of the county's total population
To get tested without a doctor’s request, call 1-888-634-1123 or go online at
https://lhi.care/covidtesting
.
The testing clinic is at at Ramsay Park in Watsonville. To visit the website for the Santa Cruz County Health Department:
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“I don't believe there's any problem in this country, no matter how tough it is, that Americans, when they roll up their sleeves, can't completely ignore.”
― George Carlin
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YOUR STORY HERE
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elcome to Serf City Times
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Over time, our county has grown more stratified and divided with many people feel left out. Housing affordability and low wages are the most obvious factors. However, many groups and individuals in Santa Cruz County work tirelessly to make our county a better place for everyone. These people work on the environment, housing, economic justice, criminal justice, disability rights, immigrant rights, racial justice, transportation, workers’ rights, education reform, electoral politics and more. Often, one group doesn’t know what another is doing. The Serf City Times is dedicated to serving as a clearinghouse for those issues by letting you know what is going on and how you can support them and the county. This is not a profit-making enterprise and all work is volunteer.
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