Statement by Local 100 President Tony Utano on the Stabbing of a Conductor on Easter Sunday

"One of our union brothers was stabbed in the abdomen and in the arm on the No. 4 express platform at the 149th Street station in the Bronx this morning. He has been hospitalized. He is now in stable condition. Union officers responded, and we will provide updates.

The police have made an arrest, and we demand that the full weight of the law now come down on this individual. We also demand that the city step up and make the subway safer for both workers and riders. We want to go to work and return to our families safe and sound.

The early reports indicate that the attacker is an emotionally disturbed person.  Too many of these unfortunate people use the subway system for refuge, and some of them pose a serious threat to workers and passengers, as was the case this morning.  The city is failing to address some very serious social issues, and it is falling well short of its responsibility to move these people from the subway system to proper shelters where they can receive the care and treatment they need."