Workplace Violence

Everyone has a right to a safe workplace. But there is an ongoing and unacceptable plague of assaults and abuse being inflicted upon Transit Workers, Flight Attendants, and other frontline transportation workers. Strong government intervention is needed to prevent this violence. In addition, assistance must come quickly when attacks or threats do occur. Victimized workers must receive time to recover from both physical and emotional trauma.  

For Bus Operators, Flight Attendants, Customer Service Agents, Railroad Onboard Service Providers, and many other TWU members, the threat of violence is not theoretical. Every single day, frontline workers are physically assaulted or verbally abused. Absent structural and procedural changes, these threats will only get worse.   

The TWU is advocating before all levels of government, urging and demanding that elected officials and agency leaders make transportation systems safer for workers by taking the following actions: 

• Ensuring workers are empowered to make decisions on how best to protect themselves on the job 

• Installing physical barriers, such as Bus Operator cockpits, which prevent assailants from reaching workers on the job 

• Increasing criminal penalties on assailants and vigorously enforcing existing law 

• Mandating appropriate time and resources for recovery for assault victims – including time necessary to testify against their assailants in court. 

AGGRESSIVE TWU ADVOCACY LEADS TO FEDERAL ACTION ON TRANSIT WORKER ASSAULTS 

    Advocacy by The TWU led to worker-safety requirements being included in the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. The legislation mandates transit agencies form joint management-labor safety committees and draft plans with real strategies to reduce the risk of assaults and injury.  

    The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was followed in 2023 by the Federal Transit Administration issuing its first-ever General Directive to transit agencies that further specified what steps agencies must take – and warned agencies they could lose federal funding if they don’t comply. Agencies also must adhere to more stringent assault reporting requirements, so the true extent of the problem is quantified and exposed. The Final General Directive was issued in 2024. 

    Importantly, safety committees in large urban areas must have an equal number of managers and worker representatives, and the worker representatives must approve the annual safety plans. The TWU in 2024 defeated an effort by the American Public Transportation Association, representing large transit agencies, to allow managers to dictate safety plans and sideline workers by limiting them to advisory roles.  

PROTECTING FLIGHT ATTENDANTS FROM UNRULY PASSENGERS 

    The TWU has raised public awareness about the assaults and abuse inflicted on Flight Attendants, gaining national attention through the Assaults Won’t Fly campaign and with our strong advocacy for the Protection Against Unruly Passengers Act. The act would ban from commercial flights passengers who were convicted or fined for a physical attack or an act of intimidation 

    Although the flight ban has not been passed by Congress, the U.S. Attorney General in 2024 directed federal prosecutors to prioritize investigations of flight crew assaults and prosecutions of those responsible. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also established an improved assault reporting protocol with the Federal Aviation Administration, which has led to several incidents being referred to the F.B.I. 

    Also in 2024, the TWU successfully lobbied legislators to put flight crew protections in the FAA Reauthorization bill. The bill directs the Transportation Security Administration to establish standards for basic security training so Flight Attendants are better equipped to handle unruly passengers. And the Department of Transportation can increase its civil penalty maximum for unruly passengers who have inflicted violence or verbal abuse at Flight Attendants and other aircraft personnel. The bill increases the maximum civil penalty federal law enforcement agencies can impose against unruly passengers from $50,000 per violation to $100,000 per violation.