Sandra Ellington – OH – SEIU Local 1

My name is Sandra Ellington. As a member of SEIU Local 1 in Cleveland, I clean large public facilities. You may have seen me at the Cleveland Hopkins Airport, where I worked for 17 years. Now I am working at the Cleveland Water Department. These facilities and the role that cleaners play are critical to making Cleveland a smooth-running, vibrant city. The same can be said about public transit and the people who clean, fix, and operate it. I know because I ride the number 15 bus regularly to go downtown. The bus is an essential public service. It gets me to work if I can’t get a ride from my husband or the car isn’t working.  

The bus is a place where I meet my neighbors. It is an important source of connection. Many people are riding the bus that can’t drive; they may need to get groceries or to a doctor’s appointment. The bus stops in front of the hospital, providing an essential service. 

We need to invest in this public service. We need buses to be flowing regularly, and service needs to be frequent and dependable. Bus stops need to be lit. We need to be able to access information quickly when a bus is taken out of service or running late. I work the second shift, from 4 pm to midnight, and the waits are longer at night, and there is no downtown trolley service.  

One barrier to good service is being able to recruit and retain drivers. Transit workers are an essential part of our everyday life and of everyday Americans and they get us to and from work and to see our loved ones, and they are lifelines. Like all of us who go to work and work hard each day, we deserve dignity on the job and to be paid for their work. I have seen bus drivers go out of their way. I was on the 14, and there was a man who was standing in crisis in the middle of the street, and the driver had to take critical action to keep all the passengers safe. These drivers have earned our respect and deserve compensation; they keep us safe, have shown through COVID-19, and are responsible for de-escalating conflicts. Good pay and dignity on the job are not too much to ask for. 

Transit works for working families. Riders like myself are making an important contribution to our city as are the bus drivers who get us where we need to go. 

need to be paid, they put themselves in harm’s way, and they’re the ones who are there for us.”

Responding to the transit agency claiming that any increase in wages or benefits in the transit workers’ contract would result in layoffs: “You can never be maxed out when a person is putting their life on the line”

“I was on the 15, there was a man who was standing in crisis in the middle of the street, and the driver had to take critical action to keep all the passengers safe, and have earned it and keep us safe, and show up through covid, through shootings at a bus.

They need to be paid, and they need dignity! They have to invest to be able to get qualified people to do the job.

We as a union and as an elected and as a community member- they were there for us! They are true heroes!”

 in Cleveland talked to Sandra on Wednesday, sorry on the delay in getting this one over.

Sandra Ellington, SEIU Local 1, Cleveland

Union cleaner at major public facilities. Worked at Cleveland Hopkins Airport for 17 years, would take the bus to the train to the airport. Now working downtown at the Cleveland Water Department.

Now catches the bus to go downtown and then accesses the downtown trolley. Sandra lives in Mt. Pleasant (southeast side), and catches the 14 to downtown.

“The bus is essential to me if I can’t get a ride from my husband or if the car isn’t working.”

“People think I’m weird”

“You can see the people who live around you, you can meet people, and it’s important, because that’s a source of connection. So many people can’t drive, and need to get to doctors’ appointments.

Often take the bus to my medical appointments. Bus stop in front of the hospital. It is an Essential Service.”

“You need buses regularly flowing for safety, so there is less time for someone to be isolated or in a potentially unsafe situation.”

“Bus stops need to be lit, we have moved safety landmarks (e.g. downtown hospital closed)”

“When a bus goes down we need information!”

Sandra works second shift from 4p-12a, after which there’s less bus service. The downtown trolley stops at 6p/sundown. 

“Transit workers are an essential part of our everyday life and of everyday Americans and they get us to and fro from work and to see our loved ones, and they are lifelines. They need to be paid, they put themselves in harm’s way, and they’re the ones who are there for us.”

Responding to the transit agency claiming that any increase in wages or benefits in the transit workers’ contract would result in layoffs: “You can never be maxed out when a person is putting their life on the line”

“I was on the 15, there was a man who was standing in crisis in the middle of the street, and the driver had to take critical action to keep all the passengers safe, and have earned it and keep us safe, and show up through covid, through shootings at a bus.

They need to be paid, and they need dignity! They have to invest to be able to get qualified people to do the job.

We as a union and as an elected and as a community member- they were there for us! They are true heroes!”