Metro Responds to Possible Sick Out by Drivers, Operators

The threat of a sick out show of protest by bus operators in Los Angeles has prompted Metro to issue a statement Friday discouraging drivers from missing work, according to media reports.

Bus drivers have been the target of assault and violence which has led to rumors of them calling in sick to draw attention to their demands for safer working conditions.

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.

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.

Metro’s Board of Directors on April 29 approved an emergency procurement declaration to speed up acquisition and installation of barriers for about 2,000 buses due to the “sudden, unexpected increased severity of assaults on operators.”

Officials said that given delays experienced in receiving the tempered glass over the past few months, staff recommended the emergency declaration to bypass normal procurement procedures and expedite the installation of the barriers.

Metro said in its statement to Fox 11 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.”