The union of the Toronto Transit Commission is demanding for a safety audit of all stations after two serious attacks on a worker earlier this month.
The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113 said in a press release on Wednesday that the attack happened on a bus operator at Eglinton Station on Sept. 19.
“The TTC operator was taking a scheduled break when he was blindsided by an unidentified assailant in a restricted area,” stated the release.
The suspect sprayed the operator with what is believed to be homemade pepper spray and struck him twice. As a result, the operator suffered temporary blindness and facial injuries.
LISTEN ABOVE: ATU Local 113’s Secretary-Treasurer Kevin Morton joins AM640.
The union said that this is the second serious and unprovoked injury on the same TTC bus operator in less than a month at Eglinton Station and the third assault on him in just under two years. The other attacks were also serious, including the operator having a gun pulled on him and being assaulted with a knife.
“What will it take before the TTC makes worker safety a priority?” said Kevin Morton, ATU Local 113’s Secretary-Treasurer. “Our members deal with serious and dangerous threats each day, and when it comes to worker safety, the TTC is falling short.”
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ATU Local 113 is demanding the TTC conduct safety audits in all public and restricted areas and that they make the necessary improvements to TTC stations throughout the city.
Morton believes Toronto’s transit workers deserve better.
“The TTC needs to make safety improvements now.”