My name is Marlon Tillerson. I have been employed at Arlington County for 11 years. I currently work at the Water, Sewer, and Streets Division as a Master Technician. We repair broken catch basins, sanitary and storm lines, and manhole covers, as well as assist with snow removal. The work is hazardous, even more so with the pandemic. I want to do everything I can to keep not just myself and my coworkers, but also my wife and three kids safe. That is why, with AFSCME VA members, I support making the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard permanent.  

I work as part of a four-person crew, though I often work as part of a group of as many as nine people. When setting cinder blocks, repairing catch basins, running saws, or operating a backhoe, it is necessary that we work within 6 feet of one another. We are provided masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer to curb the spread of COVID-19. The crews don’t have enough vehicles for all nine of us to ride alone and narrow streets don’t always allow the space needed to park all those cars. This makes personal protective equipment even more important.  

The COVID-19 cases are currently spiking in my department and I would like to see steps taken to further prioritize safety. One thing that comes to mind is returning to the practice of having an alternative work schedule in which personnel work one week on and have one week off. Less people on shift means less people in the building. 

We need a permanent health and safety standard to keep us safe. The temporary standard has required employers to give heightened priority to health and safety. I worry that the elimination of this standard would mean that conditions in our workplace could be rolled back, putting us at greater jeopardy of contracting COVID-19 and bringing it back home to our families. I urge the Board to enact the permanent standard and make it and all provisions take immediate effect on January 27, 2021.