Following a recent violent incident involving an MBTA conductor, calls for enhanced legal protections for commuter rail employees have intensified. The union representing the workers, SMART-TD, asserts that conductors should receive equivalent protection as other MBTA public employees, highlighting a legal loophole regarding their current classification as private employees of Keolis. The union argues that stricter penalties for assaults on these workers will deter future violence, especially given the significant escalation from previous threats such as knife incidents to the recent gun assault. Legislative efforts are underway to address this disparity.
We carry the same passengers, and in some cases, work on the same platforms as the other MBTA public employees. We should be treated the same.
The whole idea, hopefully, is that, with different penalties, people will think twice about laying a hand on or assaulting any of our members.
We have had several incidents where knives were pulled on our members. The gun is definitely a pretty drastic escalation.
A bill in the Massachusetts House seeks to expand the law protecting public employees to include commuter rail conductors.
Collection
[
|
...
]