TMC shuttling employees to and from work during strike

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - A major Tucson business is calling for an end to the Sun Tran bus strike while it finds ways to get its own employees to work and back home.

Tucson Medical Center (TMC) is the city's 15th largest employer.

TMC officials said the strike is affecting the most vulnerable people in the city, including TMC's own employees who rely on city buses to get them to and from work.

The strike is about to end its fourth week, with no hint of a new labor contract between the Teamsters Local 104 union and Sun Tran anytime soon.

Tucson News Now has been reporting on the impact of the strike on the lives of Tucsonans who depend on the buses since the strike began.

Many people have been struggling to find ways to get to work. Some have even lost their their jobs because they had no transportation.

At TMC, vans and buses have become a life-saver for employees.

The hospital has a small fleet of vehicles for getting people around its sprawling campus.

During the strike, those buses and vans are being put to another use, going out across the city, picking up employees, bringing them to work and taking them home again.

Wendy Carrillo works in TMC Environmental Services.

"I had barely started working here when the strike started, and I was like, oh no, what are are we going to do," Carrillo said.

Carrillo had just moved to Tucson and didn't know anyone who could give her a ride.

At first she was spending $40 a day on taxis to and from work, until her bosses found out after her third day of doing that.

"They asked me, 'Hey, how are you getting to work?' And I told them, 'Hey, I'm taking a taxi.' And they're like, 'No, don't do that. We'll help you out,'" Carrillo said.

Most of the rides started in environmental services, particularly housekeeping.

"Well, those are the employees that sometimes tend to live further away and have a harder time with transport in general and so they really are our most vulnerable population," said TMC Human Resources Director Jon Oravec.

The hospital expanded its impromptu ride program last week, as the strike dragged on and more employees found it more difficult to get to work.

"Because we need them here....Every nurse, every housekeeper, every food service person, is a vital part of our patient care team," Oravec said.

Oravec said TMC also is concerned for patients who ride the bus to get to the hospital for their care.

"We have patients that we worry about. Can they get here for their doctor appointment? Can they come to the pharmacy and get their prescriptions filled? I mean it does impact if you don't have a car and you rely on the bus service and you're in the midst of medical care," Oravec said. "It's cumbersome on patients that are already struggling with all kinds other issues that do not have a reliable way to get to their care."

Oravec said TMC wants to take care of its patients along with showing respect for its employees, letting them know they are not in this alone.

"I really appreciate they actually care and they do that for us. Not anybody would go ahead and care so much for their employees," Carrillo said.

TMC officials said its service has been picking up employees since the first day of the strike and promises that it will continue to do so until buses are running again.