March 20, 2015
Andrew Gonzales, General Chairman's Office
310-528-7973/626-962-9980
gca875smart.org/news
agonzales.utu@gmail.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BUS OPERATORS UNION IS EAGER FOR MORE SAFETY AND SECURITY
Los Angeles- The SMART Transportation Division is pleased to see new safety barriers being installed by the LACMTA to protect Motor Coach Operators while in service. The union believes though that more can and must be done to provide security on the transit system for passengers and operators alike.
“This has been a long time coming and we are happy to see that finally, something is being done to protect our operators from unprovoked assaults,” said SMART General Chairman James A Williams. “This is a great first step and we will have to wait to see how they perform on the road and to hear the feedback from our operators.”
“I am generally pleased with the design because it finally provides some sort of protection for our operators,” said SMART Local 1564 Chairman Ulysses “Butch” Johnson, in a letter to his members on March 10th.
The SMART Transportation Division believes that these barriers can be part of greater security changes needed at LA Metro. “More can and must be done to provide greater security on the bus and rail. We are eagerly awaiting recommendations from the Ad-Hoc Transit Policing Committee at Metro. Our operators are hoping to see a greater police presence whether it’s from the LASD, LAPD, or Metro Transit Security so that our operators and our passengers can feel safe on our transportation system,” said General Chairman James Williams.
The General Committee of Adjustment 875 of the SMART Transportation Division is the collective bargaining unit for and represents the over 5000 Bus and Rail Operators for the LACMTA.