Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus driver Erek Slater was suspended from his job in early June after attempting to hold discussions with his co-workers about the fact that they were being told to transport police to demonstrations demanding Justice for George Floyd, and to transport arrested protestors to jail. In addressing his co-workers, Slater also wanted to share a statement from the bus driver’s international union, the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU). This statement stressed union members’ rights to refuse work they considered dangerous or unsafe due to COVID-19 or due to the protests.
In response to this, the CTA took Slater off the job, accusing him of promoting a “work stoppage” which they claim gave them grounds to remove him from his job and level disciplinary proceedings against him. Slater has sued the CTA and is currently fighting to be reinstated to his job.
Slater should be defended from this attempt by the bosses to intimidate him. He was right to stand up and speak with his co-workers about his moral opposition to supporting police operations during this time! To build Support for Slater, a petition can be found here.
featured image credit: Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune
