CITY & MTA WORKER COVID-19 FATALITIES GROW

As the death toll from COVID-19 in NYC continues to mount, we see city and MTA workers taking hits. The NY Post did a count by city agency and the MTA which is run by the state.

The coronavirus is ravaging the city’s public workforce, killing more than 100 civil servants — many who did not have the luxury of working from home.

Those toiling at the MTA have suffered the greatest toll, with 50 dead from COVID-19 including supervisors, bus drivers, train conductors and cleaners.

As for the Department of Education where we were given the luxury of working home too late:

The virus has struck down dozens of teachers, paraprofessionals and other school workers.

While the Department of Education continues to refuse to release a count of dead or infected employees, the teachers’ union says more than 40 members have perished. At least one principal, Dez-Ann Romain, and one assistant principal, Omara Flores, have died.

“I am imploring the mayor to make this information public immediately,” said City Councilman Mark Treyger, education committee chairman. Treyger has requested a bill to require the DOE to report its COVID-19 cases.

Mayor de Blasio has failed to track illnesses and hidden the DOE data to avoid responsibility for delaying the closure of city schools, Treyger said. “His policies helped advance widespread community transmission.”

Sharon Nearby, 52, a 6th-grade English teacher at IS 24 in Staten Island, died April 4 after a week in Staten Island University Hospital, spending her last days on a ventilator. Her husband and twin 14-year-old daughters could not be at her side.

Nearby spent most of her 30-year DOE career at the South Shore school, where she held high expectations for students, her husband Jeff said. “She was very loved. She was consistent and honest. And she made classes as fun as she could.”


Jeff Nearby believes Sharon contracted the virus on March 12 or 13, when teachers citywide conducted parent conferences remotely amid the outbreak. But teachers came in and worked together in the rooms making the calls. Sharon later learned a teacher in her room had tested positive.

Now to the police:

New York’s Finest have lost 19 members, the latest Detective Jack V. Polimeni, a 23-year NYPD veteran assigned to the warrant squad. He was the third officer to die. The NYPD also lost 16 civilian employees. That includes five school safety agents, said Gregory Floyd, president of the Teamsters Local 237, their union.

Floyd faulted de Blasio for his late decision to close schools, and keeping them open for staff training and for kids to pick up supplies through March 19.

“We’re not going to blame him for people getting sick, but we’re going to blame him for his response,” Floyd said.

Floyd's response is about as lame as UFT President Mulgrew's. The UFT boss was threatening lawsuits amidst the pandemic instead of telling members to stay out of unsafe buildings. Even supposedly militant TWU Local 100 President Tony Utano hasn't threatened to pull his members out of the dangerous subways.

Where are the strong unions we need?

The mostly non-union workers nationwide have been more militant with wildcat strikes unless I am missing something and the high absentee rates among some government agencies reflect more than just people who are really sick. There might be some actions that are occurring that we don't know about as they are being done behind the scenes.

For those who want to see the tragic numbers by agency, the Post has listed them and we copied them below. Our condolences go out to all of the families behind these numbers. Each number represents actual human beings.

• MTA: 50

• DOE: 40-plus teachers, 1 principal, 1 assistant principal

• NYPD:  19 including three officers, five school safety agents

• Corrections: 10

• Human Resources Administration: 5

• Health & Hospitals: 4

• Administration for Children’s Services: 4

• Parks: 3

• FDNY: 3

• Sanitation: 1

• Transportation: 1

• Administrative Services: 1

• Buildings: 1

• NYCHA: No response