A recent study conducted by the NYU Silver School of Social Work in collaboration with the Transport Workers Union Local 100 has shed light on the shocking levels of assault and harassment faced by New York City’s public-facing subway and bus workers during the pandemic. The study, which covered nearly 1,300 workers who voluntarily participated in a survey between 2020 and 2023, revealed that almost 90% of these workers experienced victimization, including physical or sexual assault, harassment, intimidation, and theft.
Of the surveyed MTA workers, a staggering 70% of women reported being physically assaulted while on the job. The study also highlighted that physical assault was more prevalent among female bus division workers compared to their male counterparts and subway workers. These findings align with other data indicating a surge in assaults against subway and bus workers during the COVID-19 era, often perpetrated by individuals with a history of mental illness.
One MTA worker, Mohammad Quader, shared his traumatic experience of being attacked by an unhinged individual wielding a hammer-like tool. Quader continues to suffer from panic attacks as a result of the incident, requiring ongoing therapy and medication. His story is just one example of the deep mental wounds inflicted upon transit workers, prompting the study’s investigation.
Robyn Gershon, an NYU clinical professor of epidemiology and co-author of the study, attributed the harassment faced by MTA workers to a breakdown in the social contract during the pandemic. She described COVID-19 as a catalyst that unleashed a disregard for societal norms, allowing people to act with impunity.
MTA officials, however, disputed the study’s findings, claiming that documented incidents of assault and harassment for the first seven months of each year since 2021 accounted for approximately 11% of the city transit’s workforce. In a letter to NYU’s president, the MTA acknowledged the challenges faced by their workers but criticized the study’s methodology, dismissing it as a poll conducted in coordination with the Transport Workers Union.
