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Brother Aaron Hatter of SMART-TD Local 1594 (Upper Darby, Pa.) has only been a member of SMART-TD since June.

Aaron was operating his bus on the South East Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) 108 Route from Upper Darby to the airport in southwest Philadelphia when a passenger got on the bus and informed him that he didn’t have enough money to cover his fare.

Hatter, who had received new-hire training from SMART-TD General Chairperson Anthony Petty knew he wasn’t supposed to put himself in harm’s way by arguing a fare with a passenger.

He took the correct course of action by not engaging and allowing the passenger to ride. As he was getting close to completing his run, he stopped to let this passenger off the bus at the corner of Church Lane and Connell Road in Yeadon about 1 p.m.

Member hurt in unprovoked confrontation

As the man exited the bus, he stopped and, without being provoked, stabbed Aaron twice, first in his face and then in his stomach.

Brother Hatter had to be rushed into surgery because doctors believed the knife had damaged his intestine. Fortunately, they were incorrect, and our brother is expected to recover fully.

“Aaron is a good new operator who does his job well,” GC Petty said of Hatter. “You hate to see any of our operators put in this situation, but in this case in particular, Brother Hatter did everything right and still ended up being violently assaulted.”

Recovery progressing, but frustration mounts for SMART bus union leader

Petty’s frustration was evident. He said when he went to talk to Hatter following the surgery, he was encouraged to hear that he is recovering well.

“I was glad to see Aaron is going to be all right, but this never should have happened.” Petty said. “Our operators know to file reports of physical assaults and altercations, but there is no mechanism to report verbal assault. A handful of our operators have had negative experiences with this particular passenger. Up to now, he has never become violent. He would make insulting comments and walk away, but it never escalated. We need to start documenting these verbal assaults and have a way to address these problems before they grow into situations like this with our member fighting for his life.”

SMART bus union taking action, to roll out reporting tool

SMART-TD agrees with Brother Petty 100%. An assault report designed by SMART-TD’s internal Bus/Transit Assault Prevention and Safety (BTAPS) committee will soon be made available on the SMART app and our website. This form will get this information into the hands of our local officers and BTAPS members.

With actionable information, these local officers will be better-equipped to ensure our brothers and sisters like Aaron are not caught off guard and unnecessarily put in harm’s way.

Last week’s hijacking of a Los Angeles County MTA bus reinforces the SMART Transportation Division’s demands that bus and transit carriers from coast-to-coast speed up efforts to protect their workers.

“I would say everything is on the table right now,” SMART-TD Vice President James Sandoval told KTLA while discussing the incident. “We need to try every single thing we can to make it safer.”

Watch the story on KTLA ►

One of our union brothers was hurt in the March 21 incident, where he was held at gunpoint. The incident also led to at least one bystander being injured and the bus crashing into the Ritz-Carlton Hotel downtown. While he has been treated and released, our member’s experience has put him through physical and mental trauma. adds him to the list of recent victims of senseless violence while using our nation’s transit systems.

SMART-TD is closely monitoring the situation throughout the country and has formed a group to propose practical safety measures. The union will call for the adoption of their recommendations nationwide.

Learn about the BTAPS Committee, which leads union efforts to end assaults on the nation’s bus and transit workers ►

Read SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson’s reaction to the hijacking ►

FTA has not yet implemented worker safety provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

WASHINGTON – Today, 20 labor organizations representing transit drivers and other transportation workers urged Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Administrator Nuria Fernandez to immediately implement the safety provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to protect transit workers from assault.

Four months after the passage of the BIL, the FTA has yet to implement these safety provisions. Meanwhile, transit workers continue to face danger on the job.

Assaults against transit workers have long been a concern but dramatically increased during the last three years of the pandemic, as did assaults on other frontline transportation workers like airline and airport workers.

Labor unions representing frontline transit employees have responded to this crisis over the years through legislative and regulatory measures, most recently securing several provisions in the BIL to protect transit workers.

Because of the BIL, the FTA is now statutorily required to collect accurate data on transit workforce assaults, to reform its Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) process to include worker voices and incorporate measures to reduce the risk of assault in every transit system, and to update its national safety plan to address the risk of assault and public health concerns.

The unions wrote: “Our members include bus and rail transit operators, station agents, car cleaners, mechanics and other frontline workers, all of whom are at risk of assault and worse each day they arrive at work. President Biden committed to protecting these workers and that promise was enshrined into law as part of the BIL. Before, and particularly during the COVID19 pandemic, these workers have laid their lives on the line every day to ensure Americans have access to safe, reliable transportation, and we must not turn our backs on them another day.”

Signers of the letter include the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO (TTD) and the nation’s largest transit unions, including the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), Transport Workers Union of America (TWU), International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers–Transportation Division (SMART-TD), International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), and Transportation Communications Union/IAM (TCU).

The letter was also signed by the following unions: Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA), Association of Flight Attendants–CWA (AFA), Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes–IBT (BMWED), Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS), International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB), International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots (IOMM&P), International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), National Conference of Firemen & Oilers, SEIU (NCFO), Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), and Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS).

Read the letter here.

Transit worker and rider safety is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Public transit is a safe form of transportation. Transit workers should expect a safe workplace and riders should expect a safe trip.
To help ensure the continued safety of our nation’s public transit systems, the Federal Transit Administration launched the Enhanced Transit Safety and Crime Prevention Initiative to provide information and resources to help transit agencies address and prevent crime on their systems and protect transit workers and riders.
FTA resources can be used by transit agencies to prevent and address crime in their systems and protect transit workers and riders. These resources also can be used for overtime pay for enhanced security personnel presence, mental health and crisis intervention specialists.
FTA has partnered with the National Transit Institute (NTI) to provide training for transit and bus operators on assault awareness and prevention. The
Click here for a list of courses from the NTI.
Click here for more information about the Enhanced Transit Safety and Crime Prevention Initiative.

In a press release issued Wednesday, July 10, New Jersey Transit (NJT) announced that attorney Michael Rubin would be the carrier’s first employee court advocate to support operational employees who are victims of on-the-job assaults. The position was created in support of the New Jersey State Legislature’s added protections for front-line transportation workers to the state criminal assault statute.
Rubin has 15 years of experience with the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety and “will help employees who are victims of assault navigate the criminal justice system at no cost to the employee, and work with prosecutors to see that assailants face the full sentences allowable by law,” NJT said in the release.
“The creation of the Employee Court Advocate position confirms NJ Transit’s unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our employees,” said NJT President and CEO Kevin Corbett. “I am confident Michael Rubin will make a real difference in the lives of our front-line employees who are forced to navigate an unfamiliar legal system and ensure that assailants are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Rubin’s role includes meeting with NJT conductors and bus operators who have been assaulted to review their cases and help them understand their legal rights. When an employee is required to appear in court, he will accompany them to court to ensure that their rights are protected and prosecutors pursue appropriate charges and sentencing, NJT said.
Click here to read the full release from NJT.