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Another potential casualty of the proposed MBTA cuts comes into focus: Its workers

According to a study released Sunday by the worker-rider coalition Public Transit Public Good, more than 800 jobs — both direct MBTA employees as well as contractors — would be eliminated by the recently proposed service cuts, disproportionately affecting Black workers, who make up nearly 50 percent of T drivers and operators.

Public Transit Public Good estimates that those job losses could cost the T, which is self-insured for unemployment claims, up to $8.7 million in benefits.

“Public sector jobs, like those at the T, have been historically a source of middle-class stability, especially for Black workers and their families, and good jobs and steady employment are critical during a time of crisis like the pandemic that’s taken a harsh toll on communities of color,” 
Lee Matsueda, the executive director of Community Labor United, said during a press conference Monday morning alongside Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and other local elected officials and transit advocates.

“Massive layoffs at the T are going to likely worsen the pandemic outcomes by pushing hundreds more into joblessness and instability,” Matsueda said.

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