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CRRSAA is the second emergency spending bill passed by the U.S. Congress in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Like the CARES Act, CRRSAA provides financial relief to individuals, corporations, state and local governments, and public institutions. CRRSAA includes $14 billion for eligible transit agencies. Agencies must submit applications through the Federal Transit Administration to receive these funds.

Which transit systems are eligible for CRRSAA funds?

• Not all transit agencies are eligible for CRRSAA funds. Under the law, the amount of money an urbanized area may be allocated in combined CARES Act and CRRSAA funds is limited to 75% of the combined operating expenses of all transit agencies in the urbanized area for the year 2018. Urbanized areas that received more than 75% of that amount in CARES Act funds are not allocated funds under CRRSAA.
• Similarly, CRRSAA limits the amount of money rural areas may be allocated in combined CARES Act and CRRSAA funds to 125% of a state’s combined 2018 rural transit operating expenses. States that received more than 125% of that amount in CARES Act funds are not allocated funds under CRRSAA.
• Importantly, these thresholds only apply to urbanized areas and states. They do not apply to individual transit systems. Your employer might still receive CRRSAA funds even if it received CARES Act funds that exceed 75% or 125% of the operating expenses it incurred in 2018.

How do I see how much my employer has been allocated in CRRSAA funding?

• If you are in an urbanized area, check this table. The table provides the total amount of funding to be divided between transit agencies within the urbanized area. For specific information about your employer, please contact commandcenter@atu.org.
• If you are in a rural area, the funding goes to your state Department of Transportation (DOT), which disperses the funds. Check this table to see how much your state DOT has been allocated. Contact commandcenter@atu.org for specific information about your employer.

I don’t see my region listed on the DOT apportionment table. Does this mean that my employer is ineligible for CRRSAA funds?

• It is possible your employer is ineligible for CRRSAA funds. See “Which transit systems are eligible for CRRSAA funds?” above for more detailed information on CRRSAA funding restrictions.

How do I know whether my employer has applied for CRRSAA funding?

• ATU is keeping track of CRRSAA grant applications here.
• Your Business Agent will receive by email the CRRSAA grant application when your local represents employees in the geographic service area of the grantee.

What can transit systems spend this money on?

• If an agency or any of its transit contractors have furloughed any employees, to the maximum extent possible, CRRSSAA funds (and any remaining, unobligated CARES Act funds) must be directed to payroll and operating expenses. Operating expenses can include operators’ salaries, personal protective equipment (PPE) for employees, and administrative leave taken by employees due to service reductions and/or quarantine requirements. If an agency or any of its transit contractors have not furloughed employees, they have discretion to use CRRSSA funding for either operating or capital expenses.

Do agencies have to pay back or match CRRSAA funding?

• No. CRRSAA funds are grants. They are not loans that need to be paid back, nor do they require local matching.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a $2 trillion emergency spending bill passed by the U.S. Congress that provides financial relief to individuals, corporations, state and local governments, and public institutions in response to the economic fallout from COVID-19. Transit agencies are eligible to receive $25 billion in CARES Act funds. For more information click here.

Which transit systems are eligible for CARES Act funds?

• Public agencies and their contractors are eligible to receive CARES Act money. In order to obtain CARES Act funds, transit agencies must submit an application through the Federal Transit Administration; they do not automatically receive their allocated funding. 

How do I see how much my employer has been allocated in CARES Act funding?

• If you are in an urbanized area, check this table. This table provides the total amount of funding to be divided between transit agencies within the urbanized area. For specific information on your employer, please contact coronavirusalert@atu.org.
• If you are in a rural area, the funding goes to your state Department of Transportation (DOT), which disperses the funds. A table listing the amounts each state can receive is available here. Please contact coronavirusalert@atu.org to see if more specific information is available for your employer.

I don’t see my region listed on the DOT apportionment table. Does this mean that my employer is ineligible for any aid?

• Your region likely falls within either a named urbanized area, or it is a rural area and your state DOT is responsible for dispersing CARES Act funding (see above). 

How do I know whether my employer has applied for CARES Act funding?

• ATU is keeping track of CARES grant applications here.
• Your Business Agent will receive by email the CARES grant application when your local represents employees in the geographic service area of the grantee.

What can transit systems spend this money on?

• While agencies have broad discretion over the use of CARES Act funds, providing operating assistance is a primary goal of the CARES Act. Operating assistance includes labor costs such as normal payroll, leave payments, hazard pay, cleaning supplies, and masks, gloves and other PPE. This funding can assist agencies which have lost revenue as a result of waiving fares. Learn more here.

Do agencies have to pay back or match the CARES Act funding? 

• No. CARES Act funds are grants. They are not loans that need to be paid back, nor do they require local matching.

>The FFCRA is a federal law that provides additional sick leave for COVID-19 related issues, as well as paid leave for childcare where schools are closed, or where the normal childcare provider is unavailable. Learn more here.

Is my workplace covered by FFCRA?

• All public employers regardless of size are covered. Private companies and contractors are only covered if they have fewer than 500 employees.  Many private companies with fewer than 50 employees are also exempt. Learn more here.

How much sick leave does the FFCRA provide? 

• If you are following a quarantine order imposed by a health care provider or state/local government, OR if you have COVID-19 symptoms, you are entitled to two weeks (80 hours for full timers) paid leave, at 100% wage replacement (capped at $511/day). 
• If you are caring for someone who is in quarantine, you are entitled to two weeks’ paid leave at ⅔ wage replacement (capped at $200 per day).
  Links to come.

Does the FFCRA provide paid leave to take care of children, even if no one is sick?

• Yes. If you are caring for a child whose school is closed, or whose normal childcare provider is unavailable because of the pandemic, you are entitled to two weeks at ⅔ pay under the FFCRA. After those two weeks, you can use the expanded FMLA emergency leave to take an additional 10 weeks of paid leave at ⅔ pay. In sum, most workers are entitled to 12 weeks of leave at ⅔ pay under these provisions (however, if you used unpaid FMLA leave in the past year, you may not be able to take the full 12 weeks of paid childcare leave). Learn more here.

What counts as a “normal childcare provider”?

• Anyone who cares for your child, including both paid sitters or daycare centers, as well as unpaid care providers such as family members or neighbors.LINK to DOL

My child’s school is now using online classes. Does this count as closed?

• Yes. If the physical location where the child usually goes for school is closed, the FFCRA considers it closed in the sense that you are eligible to apply for childcare leave. Learn more here.

I am a part time employee. Does the FFCRA apply to me?

• Part time employees are entitled to 100% paid leave for the number of hours that they average over a two week period.

I have worked at my company for 30 days or fewer. Does the FFCRA apply to me?

• Employees who have worked fewer than 30 days are entitled to two weeks’ paid sick leave (whether it is 100% paid or ⅔ pay depends on the reason for leave: see above), but they are ineligible for the additional 10 weeks paid leave for childcare. Learn more here.

Can my employer force me to use my earned benefits (vacation time, regular sick days) before using the new FFCRA leave?

• No. The FFCRA was specifically created so that workers would not have to use their normal earned benefits for COVID-related reasons. 

If my employer is open, but puts me on furlough, can I receive FFCRA paid sick leave or expanded FMLA?

• No. You may be entitled for Unemployment Insurance. LINK TO DOL

If my employer cuts my schedule, can I use FFCRA leave for those hours that I am no longer scheduled to work?

• No. You can only use FFCRA sick leave or expanded family leave on hours that you are scheduled to work. LINK TO DOL

What do I do if my employer is covered by FFCRA, but is not complying with its provisions?

• If you are a member, make sure to contact your Business Agent (BA). If you are a BA, you can contact the ATU Coronavirus Alert hotline for assistance. You can also contact the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, which is responsible for enforcement.

It is extremely important that every operator employ the following air control settings to create safer airflow in their vehicles (PDF) and learn more on the COVID-19 homepage.

• Click here for link to information on COVID-10 Tracking and Notification issues 
• ATU recommends that its locals serve this information request to their employer, which will compel them to notify the union of new suspected cases among members, and what their policies are with respect to safety procedures and quarantine policies. Learn more here.

Your employer must disclose such information if requested to do so by your local union.  If you suspect your employer is not cleaning properly, your local should request the information and demand to meet over these and other safety and health issues.

For operators and station agents: hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, disinfecting wipes, and fitted N95 mask. Download Checklist here.

For cleaners: fitted N95 mask, protective goggles/face shields, gloves, gowns, knee pads. Download Checklist here.

Employers should be cleaning vehicles as frequently as possible: at least daily, preferably more. Click here for ATU’s cleaning checklist.

Click here for ATU’s safety procedure checklist.

If there is good reason to believe that someone on a vehicle has been exposed/infected with COVID-19, the vehicle should be immediately removed from service, and cleaned properly. Click here to download leaflet.

Information on the correct fit and use of masks and gloves is available here. Click here to download leafelt.

Paratransit operators are in a uniquely dangerous situation, given their close contact with passengers who also often have additional health risk factors. ATU recommends that paratransit agencies limit their passenger loads to one at a time. Also, agencies should build in recovery time between trips to properly disinfect vehicles, and whenever possible, companions/third parties should assist passengers in getting to the curb. These are only a few of many safety measures ATU recommends for paratransit; see the full list here.