Tough Teamsters: “It’s a challenge every day”

Teamsters 639’s 9,000 DC-area members drive for a number of area employers, from freight haulers to UPS. “Some of them are flourishing and some are going to take a hit,” Local 639 president John Gibson told Union City recently when we checked in on how the COVID-19 outbreak is affecting his members. “We also have folks in the casino industry over at MGM, and that's pretty much shut down,” Gibson said. Meanwhile, he said, “out there at Dulles, the planes are not really operating, so obviously that's having a huge impact. On Amtrak, where we have a contract with Aramark, the trains aren't running as much as they were, if at all. And people just aren't traveling. So those industries are being impacted, but some others are not.” As far as the danger of exposure, Gibson says “It’s a challenge every day. These guys go out there knowing that they're susceptible to exposure to this virus, but they do it anyway, practicing safe hygiene procedure and all that, but it is really tough. But our Teamsters are tough. They're out there.”

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