SMART-TD General Chairperson John Ellis of GC 875 and his team recently attended the InnoTrans 2024 conference in Berlin, Germany. As the largest transit conference in the world, the show brought together nearly 3,000 exhibitors from 59 countries, showcasing the latest innovations in transportation technology. The SMART-TD was joined by leaders from ATU and AFSCME.
The MTA delegation included Cliff Henke WSP SR. Vice President for Transit and Rail, Conan Cheung Metro COO, Mathew Dake Metro DCOO Vehicle Maintenance and Acquisitions, Jeff Shaffer ATU Local 1277 President, Maria Magallon SMART Chief Executive Manager, Fredrick Hines AFSCME Vice President, James Lindsay ATU International Vice President, Quintin Wormley SMART GO875 Vice General Chairperson and Local Chairperson 1565, Jim Avila AFSCME Executive Board Member, Julio Mejia SMART Secretary GO875 and Local Chairperson 1607, John Ellis SMART GO875 General Chairperson, Hector Guerrero Metro Senior Executive Officer Rail Operations, Jesus Montes Metro SR. EO. Vehicle Acquisition & Engineering
Ellis explains, “the visit was arranged by MTA CEO Stephanie Wiggins to gauge our interests and concerns with emerging transit technologies. We engaged in four days of intensive meetings with vendors and transportation technology experts, while examining the latest weapons detection systems for bus and rail; advanced security enclosures for bus and train Operators; and accident-avoidance systems for use in bus and light rail systems. We listened to vendor proposals and gave our feedback and concerns.
“We felt our visit was critically important to help us understand the role artificial intelligence (Al) and other new technologies will play in future transit systems. Knowing what’s out there will help us to propose engineering and procedural safeguards for our members.
One example of artificial intelligence in action, this system identifies and tracks hazards around transit vehicles and brings them to the attention of the Operator.
“The opportunity allows us to get involved with vendors at the beginning stages of procurement and provide critical input BEFORE vehicle systems are finalized. The opportunity to give early feedback represents a huge step forward in efforts to cooperatively design and implement enhanced safety and security systems for all our members.
Held every two years, InnoTrans 2024 filled the Berlin convention center. The show included 3,000 meters of track, hundreds of new vehicles, and countless experts and technical innovations from around the world.
“We would like to especially thank our ATU counterparts for working closely with us, offering ideas and support toward our common goal of safety and security for all. The cooperative approach shown by MTA marks the beginning of more joint efforts to bring the best technologies to SMART-TD members.”
This effort is part of a union-wide initiative to stop transit violence and ensure the safety of all workers.
A gunman was taken into custody early today by a SWAT team following a fatal shooting and hijacking of a Los Angeles County Metro Transportation Authority (LACMTA) bus early this morning.
The bus operator used a panic button to alert authorities to the dangerous situation, according to General Chairperson John Ellis of GCA-875, which represents members of six SMART-TD transit union locals with LACMTA employees. “We praise the calm demeanor and heroic actions of the operator,” Ellis said.
Media reports say the bus driver, a SMART-TD Transit Union member, was held at gunpoint by the suspect. Our driver and a passenger were rescued by police after the hourlong incident. Another passenger was fatally wounded. The suspect was taken into police custody.
CNN, citing a deputy L.A. police chief, reported that the driver “was in relatively good spirits,” immediately after the incident.
“This grave incident emphasizes the continuing safety concerns that our members have raised and that we, your general committee, have vehemently expressed to Metro management,” Ellis said. “The protection of our members remains the very top priority of your union.”
It was not known whether the hijacked LACMTA bus was equipped with new barricades called for by SMART-TD and approved by LACMTA board members earlier this year.
A similar LACMTA hijacking occurred in March of this year. SMART-TD called for barricades for drivers.
The SMART-TD Transit Union represents thousands of bus operators and rail workers for LACMTA, which serves 900,000 passengers daily. It is the third-largest transit agency in the U.S.
SMART Transportation Division Bus and Transit Assault Prevention and Safety (BTAPS) Chairperson Christine Ivey is responding to the situation.
GCA-875 represents workers for both Los Angeles County Metro Transportation Authority’s bus and train services and stands as the SMART Transportation Division’s largest bus/transit property.
Saying that the thousands of people in those five locals represented by General Chairperson John Ellis and his team have been through things that people should not have to go through while on the job would be an understatement.
In recent months, a LACMTA bus operator has been held at gunpoint by a hijacker, with the incident ending with the bus hitting multiple vehicles and a downtown hotel.
Members have been stabbed while in service. Passengers have been killed aboard LACMTA buses and trains. Neither rider nor worker could deny that getting from here to there was an experience not without apprehension.
Enough was enough.
Union effort brings true security back for our members
SMART-TD officers attend the board meeting June 27 when the LACMTA board approved the creation of a Transit Community Safety Department. From left are: Local 1563 Chairperson Jaime Delgadillo; Local Chairperson 1607/GCA-875 Secretary Julio Mejia; GCA-875 General Chairperson John M. Ellis; Vice General Chairperson and Local 1565 Chairperson Quintin Wormley; Local 1564 Chairperson Andy Carter and Local 1605 Chairperson Juan Gonzalez, who represents rail members. (Not pictured is Edgar Menendez, Local 1608 chairperson.)
The media publicity and outrage surrounding the violent events aboard LACMTA and the outspokenness of our union members and leadership finally helped to turn the tide with the people who could do the most.
On June 27, the Los Angeles County MTA’s board voted unanimously to create an “in-house” police agency called the Transit Community Safety Department to serve and protect SMART-TD members and the people who use LACMTA.
“It’s a victorious day,” GC Ellis said in a letter to members announcing the board’s actions. “Too often incidents aboard Metro vehicles have compromised your lives and dissuaded residents from riding the bus and rail services. Maintaining the status quo was NOT an option.”
Meetings by union leaders with L.A. County Superintendent Janice Hahn and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass spelled out precisely what the union’s stance was — that a dedicated department focused on security was needed to ensure safety for everyone aboard LACMTA, which serves 900,000 passengers daily and is the third-largest transit agency in the U.S.
Change will take time and collaboration between union and LACMTA
To that end, rather than LACMTA being dependent on support from the LAPD and county Sheriff’s Department, the Transit Community Safety Department would fully control safety priorities and better commit resources to where our members, in conjunction with agency leadership, say they are needed the most. More than 400 sworn-in transit safety officers would be in the department and collaborate with LACMTA’s transit ambassadors, as well as with specialists in crisis intervention and homeless outreach.
A unanimous vote by board members present at the meeting created a security force for LACMTA on June 27.
While the action taken by the board June 27, along with the prior approval of barriers to protect operators, is a definitive path toward a safer direction, GC Ellis stressed to members that the change will need time to take effect — at least three to five years, according to agency estimates.
“We look forward to working with CEO Stephanie Wiggins and management to make this proposal a reality,” Ellis said. “We understand that establishing your own police agency will take years to ensure it works effectively and as swiftly as possible.
“Nevertheless, we will continue to campaign to keep our members — Metro’s frontline heroes — as safe as possible. The union wishes to express our sincere appreciation for the forward steps the board took today to create a safer environment for our members and for the riding public.”
An example other agencies and unions can follow
Transportation Division President Jeremy R. Ferguson congratulated GCA-875 on their success. But the need to improve safety in Los Angeles or at the other bus and transit properties the union represents isn’t going to disappear.
“LACMTA is a huge property with a lot going on and a lot to track — there are only two others in the country that are bigger operations,” he said. “The headlines that we’ve seen coming out of Los Angeles have been hard to stomach, and sadly the violent incidents that have happened there aren’t exclusive to there. They happen all around the country on multiple properties we represent. It’s why we’ve had to create an internal Bus and Transit Assault Prevention and Safety committee.
“John Ellis and his team have shown that our union gets things done for our bus and transit members. We all know that it’s not going to get better for our people unless we as a union lead the way and make it better. I congratulate GCA-875 on this accomplishment and being an example of great leadership.”
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (May 7, 2024) — The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) announced today that it will be installing protective barriers in all of its buses by the end of the year.
The step taken by LACMTA will make it the first urban bus system with this safety measure fully installed. Consistent with the Federal Transit Administration’s mandated safety plans, the barriers are designed to protect bus operators from potential assault and will be installed two years ahead of a previous schedule.
Jeremy Ferguson, the president of the SMART Transportation Division labor union (SMART-TD), which represents more than 6,000 LACMTA workers, issued the following statement today:
“Thanks to the L.A. County Metro board and CEO Stephanie Wiggins for their commitment to this groundbreaking safety feat and their willingness to collaborate with SMART. Led by Los Angeles Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, Transportation Division Chairperson, John Ellis and his officers, this accelerated initiative for bus barriers on the entire fleet was strongly advocated for by the union. It represents a huge step forward in addressing SMART’s members safety concerns and demonstrates how much can be accomplished when labor and management work together on issues of mutual concern.
“Hopefully this will be a catalyst for many more such improvements for the safety and well-being of SMART members across the nation.”
On April 25, LACMTA’s board initiated emergency procurement procedures to speed up the barrier installations after attacks on workers made headlines.
“This action will make LACMTA a safer transportation system for the workers I am proud to represent and for the passengers we all are happy to serve,” GC Ellis said. “We thank CEO Wiggins and the LACMTA leadership for putting these protections into high gear.”
As of June 2023, LACMTA has 1,888 buses in service. Its system has 11,980 bus stops and serves a 1,447-square-mile region with 120 routes. The LACMTA provides nearly 1 million rides on its bus and rail system every weekday and an average of 580,000 rides per day on weekends.
In March, the agency provided more than 7.6 million miles of bus and rail passenger service for the country’s most-populous county.
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SMART Transportation Division is comprised of approximately 125,000 active and retired members who work in a variety of different crafts in the transportation industry. These crafts include employees on every Class I railroad, Amtrak, many shortline railroads, bus and mass transit employees and airport personnel.
