Transit workers demand MTA safety changes following stabbing of conductor
The incident has prompted the Transit Workers Union to call for action, saying “enough is enough.”
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A train conductor who was stabbed multiple times earlier this month is recovering after being in a medically induced coma.
The incident has prompted the Transit Workers Union to call for action, saying “enough is enough.”
Dozens of union members rallied this week, demanding stronger safety measures from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to protect workers.
Police said the conductor, 60-year-old Myran Pollack, was stabbed by a passenger at the Crown Heights Utica Avenue station after Pollack asked him to leave the train.
The TWU accused the MTA of violating workers’ rights and is calling for changes, such as requiring employees to clear trains in pairs and ensuring MTA police are present when workers evacuate trains.
Pollack was clearing the train at the end of the line when the incident occurred.
NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow released the following statement:
“Before his heinous assault on a train operator, Jonathan Davalos had on different days attacked another subway employee and a rider. This recidivist behavior is why the MTA has fought in Albany for harsher penalties for crimes occurring in the transit system, and why we push for the most aggressive possible prosecutions when employees, customers and police are assaulted. We are happy to have TWU Local 100 join that effort, and to have their support for the NYPD and the district attorneys, as they work to ensure that maximum possible consequences are imposed."
Police said the suspect in Pollack’s case has five prior arrests, including two for assault.
Editor’s Note: The NYU data referenced in this article has now been retracted by NYU.
