In Good Day NY Interview, Pres. Utano Talks About Assaults, the Increased Police Presence, and the Homeless

FEBRUARY 15 -- In a wide-ranging interview with Good Day NY Anchors Rosanna Scotto and Lori Stokes, Local 100 President Tony Utano discussed the increased rate of assaults on transit workers, the City's recent move to add more police to keep order in the transit system, and the massive homeless problem in the subway system which the City has so far been unable to solve.

"Our people are being spit on four times a week, being punched, having urine thrown in their faces," he said. "This is a serious problem and the police need to step it up."

Discussing the folly of kicking the homeless out of the system for a few hours only for them to return once it reopens, he said: "The Mayor needs to fix these shelters so that, when you get the homeless people into them, they will get medical attention, counselors, actual help. They need to get the homeless back on their feet and not living in the subway. God -- we live in America. What human being should be living in the subway?"

"Let's get the money to the police, let's get the budget, because we really need protection down there," he added. "We don't come to work to come home with blood on our uniforms. When COVID-19 was at its highest, we were providing service 24/7 -- and we paid a price. We had a lot of deaths and sickness. But we kept delivering the service. Now it's time for somebody to step up for us."

"If the United States of America can pump trillions of dollars into a stimulus, there should be no homeless in America. We should help our people."