TransLink’s board of directors heard during its quarterly board meeting June 24 that working conditions for its employees are fraught with bullying, lack of concern for their safety and threats to their livelihood.
Dallis Van Steinberg, a representative of the Service Employers International Union whose members clean SkyTrain stations, maintain washrooms, handle fire hazards, respond to emergencies and help keep the transit system safe.
“Most riders never see the until something goes wrong. They are often the first point of contact,” she said. “Serious concerns are being raised by these workers, These requests have been declined.”
She told the board nearly 40 grievances have been filed in just a few months concerning safety concerns, staffing shortages, layoffs, payroll and scheduling violations, retaliation, bullying and harassment and “interference with workers exercising their rights.”
“These are not isolated incidents,” she said, “these point to systemic problems. One of the most serious concerns involves workers being directed to clean yellow safety lines while trains were operating and while working alone.”
“It has not stopped. Workers were instructed not to discuss it. Workers were threatened with job loss if they spoke up,” Van Steinberg told the board. She said workers have been told “raising concerns could affect them financially and their future in Canada.
“No worker should ever be placed in a position where they have to chose between their safety and their livelihood. Many of these workers are newcomers to Canada, many are low-wage workers yet they deserve the same protection, respect and dignity as any other worker in this province.”
Van Steinberg said a worker’s rights should not depend on their job title, income or immigration status.
“Worker report being denied breaks, left alone without support, working short-staffed and lacking the tools and supplies necessary to safely perform their job,” she told the board. “At the same time additional funding was provided for FIFA preparations. Workers and the public are asking simple questions – where did that money go?”
She asked the board to “step in” and fix the staffing issues and safety concerns and ensure employees can raise concerns without retaliation. “Ensure that people responsible for keeping the system clean and safe are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.
“Now is the time to show the public and workers that you are correcting these issues. This is a TransLink issue.”
One employee confirmed to the board that workers are being asked to clean the yellow safe lines alone with no safety protocol in place.
“If anything happens, if someone slips, equipment falls or if there’s an emergency there’s no one there to help them. This is not just unsafe; this is a situation where one mistake can have very serious consequences,” he said. “When workers feel afraid to speak up safety is no longer being managed, it is being silenced.”
The speaker said more duties are being dumped on workers following layoffs and they want to know why – if there is no work – those still with jobs are being stretched beyond their limits. “When workers are afraid to speak safety is already broken and when safety is broken it’s only a matter of time before something goes really seriously wrong.”
Another speaker raised “serious concerns regarding to health and safety treatment of our co-workers during the busiest period of FIFA operation.
“Having a single worker cleaning trains or stations alone creates a significant safety risk, especially during high-volume events when stations are overcrowded and unpredictable situations can arise.”
She told the board workers are routinely assigned to clean four to six SkyTrain stations alone during a single shift.
“Multiple workers have reported supervisors raising their voice, yelling at employees and demanding work be complete regardless of safety concerns.”
She said lack of staffing has led to garbage “not adequately” being collected, especially on weekends, leading to overflowing bins attracting rats, ants and other pests.
She told the board a supervisor called their union “a joke” and said grievances are “just a piece of paper that mean nothing.”
A union researcher told the board that cleaners “are being told to use the same cloth used in the bathroom as they do on the railing. That’s unacceptable.”
TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn thanked the speakers for sharing their concerns. “We do take them very seriously. On the SkyTrain cleaning contract we have received those concerns that have been raised. SkyTrain is working with the contractor to ensure the requirements of that contract are being met. We’ll continue to do so and we’ll follow up on everything that we’ve heard today so I just want to be sure to address that