U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) introduced a measure they said is designed to address workplace safety for essential transportation workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Essential Transportation Employee Safety Act would prioritize transportation worker coronavirus testing while ensuring employers implement health and safety requirements to keep their workforce safe.
“Frontline transportation workers must have safe working conditions amid the pandemic,” Blumenthal, who joins Cantwell and Markey in serving on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, said. “These workers are tirelessly serving our public on the roads, railways, and in the skies, and must have priority access to testing, personal protective equipment, and a safe workplace.”
The bill would also expand upon President Joe Biden’s recent Executive Order and arrange for a federal mask mandate on certain transportation modes during the pandemic – including airplanes, trains, and city and state public transportation.
“Throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen how important the transportation sector is to delivering supplies to fight COVID-19 and helping our economy,” Cantwell said. “Our frontline transportation workers have worked tirelessly to keep America running, and we’ve seen as our dockworkers and others have suffered increased infection rates of COVID how delivery of goods and products is threatened. We need to do more for these workers.”
Markey said the pandemic places a unique burden on the American workforce.
“While millions of Americans are sheltering at home to protect public health, essential workers continue to report to work at increased risk to themselves and their families,” he said. “In particular, transportation workers are providing vital services that the rest of our economy relies on to keep moving. These heroes deserve priority access to coronavirus testing, personal protective equipment on the job, and strong safety rules.”