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Sforza said if workers don’t feel an extra level of protection, he wouldn’t be surprised if they start booking off sick or refusing to show up for shifts.

Sforza said they haven’t heard of any Metrolinx employees being disciplined yet. The same goes for the TTC, except for one incident where about a month ago, the union says, a worker put on a mask and was told by management he wouldn’t be able to attend his usual job as a driver. That worker was forced to work in an office instead.

“He travelled through an airport in the U.S. that had a confirmed case,” said Carlos Santos, of ATU Local 113. “He believed to stop the spread, it would be in his best interest to wear a mask. Especially with the (recirculated) air quality in the subway.”

Santos and Sforza said they’ve both been meeting with TTC and Metrolinx to find a solution, but without much movement.

Photo by STRINGER / REUTERS

“Going into the airport, those members in particular are at a slightly higher risk to exposed to the virus,” said Sforza.

“We’ve got travellers coming in from every part of the globe, they’re getting on GO Transit and TTC. We don’t think it’s unreasonable. There’s a lot of talk that (masks) are ineffective or they make things worse — I’m sure the nurses who wear them wouldn’t agree.”

The TTC said it stands by the advice of public health officials around the world, “that masks are not only unnecessary, they can be harmful for healthy people to use as it leads to increased touching of the face,” said spokesman Stuart Green.