Current News from the MTA LC

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3:

(AM NEW YORK)-- MARCH 3 -- Four of the five district attorneys stood with TWU Local 100 Wednesday and called on the state Legislature to elevate spitting on a transit worker from a violation to a misdemeanor. The 5th DA sent the head of his Trials Division. Bronx DA Darcel Clark was first to the podium. https://www.amny.com/.../mta-workers-get-traction-in.../

 
(News 12):  MARCH 3 -- District attorneys from all five New York City boroughs joined transit workers Wednesday to call on the state Legislature to amend the state penal code and increase the penalty for spitting on or attacking transit workers. Currently, spitting on a transit worker is only a violation unless a police officer is a witness to the incident. DAs from all five boroughs are supporting legislation that would result in greater consequences. They want these attacks to be considered a misdemeanor aggravated harassment and punishable with up to a year in prison. In the last four weeks, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has reported more than 150 incidents on buses and trains. They are calling these attacks disgusting and intolerable, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. The MTA says the legislation is something it has long sought. https://bronx.news12.com/district-attorneys-from-all-5-boroughs-call-for-stricter-penalties-for-attacks-spitting-on-transit-workers?fbclid=IwAR2nfVPJGDrt7dQqdoG5CYXg1Q3NlEp7vYu0prqS0saTf9Xc2wdcJqrNECU
 
The Wall Street Journal -- (MARCH 3) New York’s top prosecutors called Wednesday for harsher penalties for people who spit at subway and bus workers.

The city’s five district attorneys urged state legislators to amend the penal code to upgrade spitting at a transit worker to a misdemeanor from a violation. The reclassification would, technically, make spitting punishable by up to one year in jail. In practice, most misdemeanors result in very little if any jail time, according to Matthew Galluzzo, a criminal defense attorney in Manhattan.

Transit workers were spat at more than 200 times last year, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement. “Spitting on a bus or train operator is an egregious act and with the still-raging Covid pandemic, potentially life threatening,” he said.

The state-controlled Metropolitan Transportation Authority warned of a rise in assaults on its workers at the start of last year. Harassment and attacks have continued throughout the pandemic despite a steep decline in ridership, according to Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents almost 40,000 subway and bus workers in the city.

“We come to work to do a job, not get assaulted and abused,” the union’s leader,Tony Utano, said at a news conference in Brooklyn. “We need help from the state Legislature, and we need it now.” https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-prosecutors-urge-tougher-punishment-for-spitting-at-transit-workers-11614811467

 

Affiliated Unions

Transport Workers Union Local 100
Representing 34,000 employees at New York City Transit Subways and Buses.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 726
Representing Bus Operators and Maintainers in Staten Island.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1056
Representing Bus Operators and Maintainers on select routes in Queens.
Local 375 DC 37 AFSCME
Representing the architects, project managers, and design professionals of New York City Transit
UTU GO-SIR Local 1440
Representing Staten Island railway employees
IAM & AW Local Lodge 754 Long Island Rail Road
We are Local Lodge 754 of the "International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers" union working for the Long Island Railroad. We are currently 300 members strong. As we move into the 21st century we look to expand our membership well beyond that number.
National Conference of Firemen and Oilers, SEIU
We are a labor union that proudly celebrates over 100 years of service, both on and off the job, to thousands of workers and their families. Our members can be found working in a variety of occupational fields among both private and public employers throughout the United States. Although our name has remained basically the same since 1899 our representational goals, procedures and tools are continuously reviewed and improved to stay abreast of the changing corporate and political climate which everyone of us face each working day
Bridge and Tunnel Officers Benevolent Association
Bridge & Tunnel Officers are New York State Peace Officers, who patrol New York City's Toll Bridges & Tunnels. Bridge & Tunnel Officers are a unique group of dedicated, highly trained men and women who serve and protect the New York metro area motoring public. Bridge & Tunnel Officers are a multi-task force performing law enforcement, firefighting, emergency rescue, revenuecontrol/EZ PASS and public service functions for MTA Bridges & Tunnels.
Local 1931 District Council 37
We work as Bridge & Tunnel Maintainers, Custodial Assistants and Stock Workers. Local 1931 members work in a variety of job titles and at different levels. We work in the MTA Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority.
ATU Local 1179
We represent Bus Operators and Maintainers working in Queens, New York.
TWU Local 106
We represent first-level supervisors working for MaBSTOA
Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Association/SOBA
Representing the Superior Officers Benevolent Association of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority.
TWU Local 252
Local 252 was chartered originally on August 1, 1946. At that time, the lines represented were Rockville Centre Bus, Long Beach Bus, Bee Bus and Utility Lines. Various other lines were organized through the years, many of which went out of business or were taken over by other entities. We currently represent over 3,500 members at Courtesy Bus, First Student, Inc., Suffolk Transportation Service, Inc., Suffolk Bus Corporation, NICE Bus, operated by Veolia Transportation (formerly MTA Long Island Bus) and NICE Paratransit. Our members are made up of transit operators, school bus drivers, van drivers, matrons, Para-transit operators and mechanics.
ATU Local 1181
Local 1181 is the largest local in the United States for the Amalgamated Transit Union. It represents Drivers, Escorts, and Mechanics in New York City, Westchester County and Long Island.
Local 1655 DC 37
We are Clerical Associates, Secretaries, Cashiers, Customer Service Specialists, Principal Administrative Associates, Auditors of Accounts, Purchasing Agents and Computer Associates working for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Local 1655 members work in a variety of job titles and at different levels
International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 808
Independent Railway Supervisors Association