Photo Courtesy of Kevin Coughlin/Office of the Governor
Governor Hochul signed the bill into law on Monday.
By Forum Staff
Governor Kathy Hochul on Monday signed legislation to protect roughly 11,000 more transit workers against assault and harassment. The bill will expand current law that charges individuals who attack or harass transit workers with second degree assault. It will extend criminal charges to individuals who assault station customer assistants, ticket or revenue collectors, maintenance workers, repairers, cleaners, and their supervisors, who are not protected by existing law.
“During the pandemic, our transit workers were heroes, showing up while everyone was staying home — putting not only their health and the health of their families at risk, but also risking their lives as subway crime increased,” Hochul said. “New York’s transit workers have always been there for us and now it is our job to be there for them. No one should be subjected to physical violence or harassment in the workplace, and today we are taking an important step in protecting the men and women who keep our subways and buses running.”
Station customer assistants, ticket or revenue collectors, maintenance workers, and supervisors employed by transit agencies or authorities work with and among the public to ensure that transit is running on schedule, that terminals and stations are clean, and that passengers can obtain tickets and information. These employees are vulnerable to harassment or assault by any individual using transit or transit facilities, and this bill will toughen laws to protect additional transit employees from attacks. By charging individuals who physically injure transit workers with second-degree assault, the legislation will serve as a deterrent to those seeking to harm transit employees.
“Today I celebrate alongside thousands of transit workers as Governor Hochul signs this critical legislation into law. Transit workers kept our city moving during the height of the pandemic and beyond, at great risk to themselves and their families. These heroes deserve safe workplaces and those who assault transit workers deserve to face penalties commensurate with their crimes. Recent events have made it clear how serious we have to be with regard to transit worker safety and I commend transit leadership, organized labor, and advocates who have all been key partners in making this a priority. I am grateful for their partnership and I am also grateful to my colleagues for their support, Assemblymember Cook for championing this in the Assembly, and Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie for their leadership. We all benefit when transit employees can focus on delivering safe, reliable service.”
DC37 Local 372 President Shaun D. Francois I said, “The treatment of transit workers by the public needed to be addressed, they all deserve protection under the law. I am so happy that Governor Hochul is signing this legislation today showing her support for these heroic frontline workers. This sends a clear message to keep your hands off of transit workers while they keep New York moving. We look forward to working with the legislature to ensuring more public facing members are protected.”
ATU Local 1056 President Mark Henry added, “This legislation is needed to serve as a deterrent to those who think it’s okay to attack a transit worker.”
