TTC union releases online video exposing poor air quality in tunnels

TORONTO, Ont. – The union representing frontline employees of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has released a video on the Internet putting a spotlight on the perceived need for workers in the subway tunnels to wear protective masks. Posted on the website of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 on May 16, the two-minute video, Enough Is Enough, exposes the alleged health risks that workers face. “For far too long, the TTC has ignored its workforce’s longstanding concerns about subway air pollution,” stated a Local 113 press release about the video. “We want more Torontonians to understand the significant health risks subway workers are exposed to on a daily basis – sometimes up to 12 hours a day… It’s unacceptable for subway workers to sneeze and cough out filthy black dust after a shift.” The union added that it would continue to fight to allow subway workers to have the choice to wear respiratory protection. A recent Health Canada report claimed that TTC subway tunnels contain a high level of air pollution (COHSN, May 2).

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