ATU continues to share the real life of a transit worker:

Bruce and Henry toured and rode the Max with Secretary of State Tobias Reed. We rode out to the 162nd stop and got off to show where bullets hit the brick pillars from a shooting that had happened in the past. While on our ride, the train had to stop because of a fentanyl exposure in the front car (we rode in the rear car). We waited 15 minutes to air out the train, then reboarded and headed back to Gateway. What concerned us was that the district had only sent a security guard (Allied) to ensure the passenger was off the train, but no one checked on the operator's health and safety. During those 15 minutes, we had the opportunity to speak with the operator to confirm they were okay. The district allowed the operator to reboard the railcar and resume operations. We spent additional time at Gateway, speaking with employees from different divisions.

Tobias has asked to do it again at a different time. We mentioned taking him out to the maintenance shops at TriMet, as well as to their Operations Command Center and Security Operations Center. He was really interested in our members' stories. If you see us out the next time, please be advised that we want to know your story, not what the district wants people to think.

Extra special thanks to Secretary of State Tobias Reed.