Several LA Metro bus lines were disrupted and delayed Friday due to bus drivers calling out sick in what is believed to be part of an organized "sick out" labor action.
Want to get caught up on what's happening in SoCal every weekday afternoon? <a href="https://link.chtbl.com/fHPneL-D">Click to follow The L.A. Local</a> wherever you get podcasts.
Conan Cheung, Metro’s director of operations, told KNX News Chief Correspondent Charles Feldman about 360 bus drivers called out sick.
"That's roughly about 10% of our bus operator workforce," Cheung said.
As of 12:25 p.m., Metro said the following lines would be delayed because of staff shortages: 18, 40, 45, 53, 66, 70, 81, 106, 110, 111, 115, 117, 120, 180, 204, 206, 212, 251 and 260.
Metro released a statement to Fox 11 regarding the possible sick out, saying it would negatively impact riders.
"Bus operators are the face of Metro to more than 80% of Metro riders. They are the lifeblood of the Metro organization. We understand their and their families' fear in the face of the senseless assaults some have experienced primarily resulting from the twin crises of untreated mental illness and drug addiction. We share their frustration and have expedited the installation of barriers to keep them safe, as well as the re-deployment of safety and security personnel on board buses to deter assaults. At the same time, we are working on longer term plans, which include the addition of even more dedicated transit security bus riding teams," the statement read.
Metro also wrote in its statement that riders in Los Angeles County depend on the Metro bus and rail network every day.
"We appeal to our operators to reconsider the impact their plan to call in sick will have on some of the most vulnerable people in the county," the statement read. "Transit operators who intentionally plan to call in sick put our customers at risk. Further, it is a violation of Metro's Collective Bargaining Agreement, so we hope they will reconsider."
L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who also serves on the Metro’s Board of Directors, told KNX News’ Jon Baird she sympathizes with the bus drivers.
“…and I understand that they wanna highlight that today by maybe calling in sick,” she said. “It’s unfortunate, again, because, of course, so many people depend on our transit system on the metro system.”
On April 29, Metro’s Board of Directors declared a public safety emergency and approved the installation of protective barriers for drivers.
“What’s interesting is when we were talking to the bus drivers about installing these barriers, they were very appreciative of that, but they were like, ‘What about the passengers? Can you put a barrier around each of the passengers?’” Hahn told Jon Baird. “So they're keenly aware that we seem to be in a bit of a safety crisis right now.”
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told KNX News’ Jon Baird the bus drivers have every right to do what they’re doing.
“I'm so sorry that the transit operators feel that it's necessary for them to not come to work in order to make a statement that somebody, and in my opinion the directors of the MTA, need to take responsibility for protecting these good public employees who are just trying to get people from point A to point B,” he said.
This comes after a series of violent attacks on the Metro system. A Hawthorne man who allegedly stabbed a Metro bus operator in the chest in the unincorporated Willowbrook area pleaded not guilty on April 29 to an attempted murder charge.
The case against Darnell Marshon Bray, 30, includes allegations that he used a knife during the crime and personally inflicted great bodily injury during the April 13 attack, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
The Metro bus operator was driving his bus route "when the suspect started yelling at him," according to a statement released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Following the death of a woman on the Metro B (Red) Line and a series of violent attacks on public transit operators, Metro officials expedited efforts to acquire and install protective barriers for drivers on thousands of buses.
"Bus operators are the face of Metro to more than 80% of Metro riders. They are the lifeblood of the Metro organization. We understand their and their families' fear in the face of the senseless assaults some have experienced primarily resulting from the twin crises of untreated mental illness and drug addiction. We share their frustration and have expedited the installation of barriers to keep them safe, as well as the re-deployment of safety and security personnel on board buses to deter assaults. At the same time, we are working on longer term plans, which include the addition of even more dedicated transit security bus riding teams," the statement read.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Most Popular
Comments / 0