THUNDER BAY – The union representing Thunder Bay transit operators is speaking out after bus drivers were accused on social media of inappropriate behaviour during a recent incident at the city hall transit hub.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 966, which represents Thunder Bay transit operators, called on governments to provide more social supports for addictions and mental health, and more protection for its members, in a statement issued Sunday evening.
Photos posted to Facebook Thursday appeared to show a private security guard hired by the city taking photos of two men slumped on a bench at the transit hub, prompting public outcry online.
The poster of the photos questioned why transit operators nearby appeared to be laughing instead of trying to help the two men.
Those kinds of posts create “an unfair and one-sided depiction of a situation,” the union argued.
“As recent social media posts have shown, our operators are under constant scrutiny by members of the public who are taking photos and videos of them, and then posting to social media out of context and/or with little to no explanation of the full incident,” Local 966 president Fred Caputo said.
The scrutiny will leave drivers “less likely to help someone in need due to a fear of being accused of wrongdoing and judged on social media,” he warned.
Caputo had not yet spoken with drivers present for the incident on Thursday, he said Sunday.
The local president said his members sympathize over a shortage of mental health and addictions supports, but have come to fear for their safety.
He believes substance abuse and mental illness underlie a large portion of instances of abuse against bus drivers, which he called commonplace.
“Our frontline operators are subjected to verbal and physical abuse on a daily basis,” he said. “This has led to many frontline operators becoming not only frustrated at the lack of support, but scared for their safety, the safety of their fellow operators, and the safety of their passengers.”
Being spat at or punched isn't an uncommon occurrence for operators, he said, while verbal abuse is constant.
The transit hub at city hall has been the site of many of those incidents of abuse, he said.
City manager Norm Gale has acknowledged an increase in aggressiveness toward transit employees and municipal staff around city hall, saying the city hired additional security through a private company.
Several years ago, off-duty police officers were hired to attend at the city’s transit hubs, Caputo reported. He believes that solution would be preferable to hiring a private security firm, which he said has been less effective.
The statement from ATU calls for “increased funding from both levels of government for more addiction treatment facilities, increased shelter and mental health support,” saying those solutions are the only way to truly address the root causes of drivers’ concerns.
