From the ATU 1395 that represents ECAT bus drivers:
“It’s with sadness I must report that ATU Local 1395 has lost a member and our Union Brother to COVID-19.
“39-year Union member and Bus Operator James McIntyre passed away yesterday evening at Sacred Heart Hospital here in Pensacola after being in the ICU for about a week and being induced into a coma with a ventilator.
“James was the number 2 driver on our seniority list for many years. He recently submitted his paperwork for retirement.
“Please keep his wife Carol and his family in your prayers.”
County Administrator Janice Gilley refused to make face masks mandatory for her employees. The COVID-19 precautions came after the union insisted on them. ATU 1395 president Mike Lowery was fired for speaking out for the safety of drivers and riders.