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All VTA Employees regardless of job classification can begin scheduling appointments for COVID-19 testing immediately.

Testing is free and offered at eight (8) locations across the county

Santa Clara County Health and Hospital System - Valley Medical Center (VMC) Locations

Valley Medical Center is currently offering testing at four drive-through sites throughout Santa Clara County. Anyone can be tested, and there are no requirements for testing criteria or insurance. Appointments are available seven (7) days a week.

To schedule your appointment at one of the four (4) locations below, visit: https://www.scvmc.org/patients-and-visitors/for-patients/Pages/covid-19-testing.aspx.

• Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) - Valley Health Center Milpitas

1325 East Calaveras Blvd., Milpitas, CA 95035

• St. Louise Regional Hospital - DePaul Health Center

18550 De Paul Dr., Morgan Hill, CA 95037

• Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) - Valley Health Center Downtown

777 E Santa Clara Street, San Jose, CA 95112

• Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) - Valley Health Center East Valley

1993 McKee Road, San Jose, CA 95116

 Verily (Project Baseline) – Santa Clara County Fairgrounds and PAL Stadium

Testing at the Fairgrounds is a drive-through service. PAL Stadium offers both walk-up and drive-through testing.

Appointments must be scheduled after completing the screening tool at https://www.projectbaseline.com/study/covid-19/eligibility/. No phone reservations are allowed. 

Both testing sites operate from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

• Santa Clara County Fairgrounds

344 Tully Road, San Jose

• San José PAL Stadium

680 S. 34th Street, San Jose 

OptumServe Testing Sites - James Lick and Christopher High Schools

Appointments can be made by visiting https://lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 1-888-634-1123. Phone reservations have long wait times.

Both sites operate from 7 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. – 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.

• James Lick High School

57 North White Road, San Jose

• Christopher High School

850 Day Road, Gilroy.

 Private Health Plan Provider Testing:  If you are enrolled in VTA's Anthem Blue Cross HMO or Anthem Blue Cross PERS PPO plan, you have the option of contacting your provider to request a test.  You must advise them that you are an essential worker. Optionally, you can use one of the eight (8) sites listed above to get tested.

 Guidelines for Requesting Time Off

Employees are advised to be flexible in scheduling their appointments in consideration of VTA business needs.  Employees are also required to notify their supervisor of their appointment time/confirmation prior to taking time off from work. Employees are required to return to work immediately upon test completion. 

Time off will be coded excused paid leave if appointment conflicts with normal work hours.  ATU-represented employees who are scheduling a test during their work hours are required to complete an Employee Sick Absence (blue form) at least 24 hours prior to their appointment.  

Reporting Test Results to VTA

Upon receipt of your test results, please email a copy to vta.covid-19.rpt@vta.org. This is the HR confidential email inbox for all COVID-19 related items.

If your results are positive, notify your supervisor immediately, contact your doctor, and follow your doctor's instructions.  Do not return to work until you have been advised by your supervisor to do so.

Thank you for your cooperation. Should you have any questions, please call the VTA COVID-19 Hotline at 408-952-4110.

MEDIA ADVISORY
May 26, 2020
Contact:
John Courtney, President & Business Agent, ATU Local 265
jcourtney@atulocal265.org; 408-874-0900 EXT 213

Bay Area Transit Workers and Riders to demand MTC uses CARES Act funding to first protect transit workers and riders. 

MTC Meeting, 9am PT, Wednesday, May 27, accessible by Zoom details below
Unions will deliver more than 1,000 signed petitions.

Oakland, CA – In response to the failure of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) at its April meeting to protect the lives of transit workers and riders, Bay Area transit workers will submit more than 1,000 petitions demanding action at the MTC’s May 27 meeting.

Thousands of transit workers have been infected with COVID-19 across the U.S., and more than 120, including an AC Transit worker, have died after contracting the virus. In April, Bay Area transit workers and riders called on MTC to first and foremost use the $1.3 billion federal emergency transit funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to protect the health and safety of transit workers and riders during the pandemic.

Instead of creating a COVID-19 Response Fund, as requested, MTC surveyed transit agencies and created a task force.

“Since the coronavirus pandemic began, transit workers across the Bay Area have put themselves in harm’s way to continue servicing our communities. Each time a passenger coughs just a few feet behind them, our bus operators’ hands grip the wheel a bit tighter,” said John Courtney, President of Local 265-San Jose, CA. “The MTC has the federal funding and the power to make these changes to protect transit workers and riders, but they’re doing neither. We demand the MTC direct 5% of this federal emergency transit funding to address worker health and safety above all.”

Transit workers in the Bay Area, represented by ATU Locals 192-Oakland, CA, 265-San Jose, CA, 1574-San Mateo, CA and 1575-San Rafael, CA, played a key role in getting more than $1.3 billion in emergency transit funding for the MTC through the CARES Act passed by Congress. The Union is asking the MTC to create a COVID-19 Response Fund with 5% of Phase 1 federal revenues.

The Act allows transit agencies to use the funds to purchase N-95 masks, gloves, other personal protective equipment (PPE) for transit workers and additional cleaning and sanitizing supplies. In addition, the funding can be used to pay workers and to keep service running for frontline workers and those who depend on public transit.

“Just yesterday, we lost one of our own to this devastating virus,” said Yvonne Williams, President of ATU Local 192-Oakland, CA, representing AC Transit workers. “The CARES Act gives transit agencies the funds to purchase masks, gloves and sanitizer to keep transit workers and riders safe on the job and it should be used for those purposes.”

WHAT: Vote by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (Bay Area, CA) on the allocation of $1.3 billion in federal emergency transit funds from the CARES Act.

WHEN: Wed., May 27, 2020, 9:15 AM Pacific time

VIDEO LINK: https://bayareametro.zoom.us/j/98669428839

Join by Telephone: 888-788-0099 (Toll Free) or 877-853-5247 (Toll Free)

Webinar ID: 986 6942 8839 AGENDA: Here [scroll to item 10(c)]

The ATU is demanding MTC move quickly to deliver needed funding, policy changes and materials for keeping systems running and their workers and riders safe, including, but not limited to:

• Increased health and safety measures for transit workers and the riding public by providing gloves, masks, sanitizers, and all PPE needed.
• Pandemic leave for anyone showing symptoms of COVID-19, exposed to them, or with family or childcare obligations resulting from shutdowns.
• Compensating workers classified as essential during a public health crisis with at least 1.5 times their normal wage.
• Rear door entry and fare elimination to support social distancing.
• Hand sanitizer on all transit vehicles and transit hubs.
• State-of-the-art sanitizing to disinfect all transit vehicles upon return to division/work location, and for line relief operators.
• Retaining employees and maintaining wages and benefits during service curtailment.
• Strategic continuation of service to avoid overcrowding.
• Limiting bus passenger loads for 35-foot buses to 5 riders, 40-foot buses to 6 riders, and 60-foot buses to 9 riders and paratransit to no more than 1 rider.
• Requiring passengers to wear masks to board a transit vehicle.
• Fully-paid, on-site testing of transit workers for COVID-19 symptoms.

“We are proud to carry essential workers - healthcare, grocery, and retail workers - and those who need care,” Courtney continued. “But our transit agencies have failed to consistently deliver the critical safety protections and policies for us to continue to provide essential transit service for our communities. The MTC needs to make sure the agencies spend the CARES act money on PPE for workers and riders, so everyone can remain safe."

Please take immediate action and sign the online petition to protect transit workers and ridership!

(CLICK LINK BELOW)

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/bay-area-atu-demands-that-the-metropolitan-transportation-commission-provide-safe-service-now/