More than a dozen people stood at the Metro stop on the southeast corner of Soto and 6th Street in Boyle Heights on Friday, waiting longer than usual for the afternoon bus.
“I don’t see it,” one person said. “It’s taking forever.”
This scene was commonplace throughout Los Angeles on Friday, as Metro drivers called in sick as a form of protest to bring attention to violent attacks they’ve had to face recently.
The ‘sick out’ caused dozens of bus lines to be impacted, according to a Metro alert on its website, including the 18 and 70 lines that directly cut through Boyle Heights, on both 6th Street and Cesar Chavez Avenue. About 360 operators called out sick, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Metro, in a statement, described drivers as “the lifeblood of the Metro organization,” adding that it understands the fear over recent “senseless assaults,” on many operators. Still, the agency noted that drivers should “reconsider the impact their plan to call in sick will have on some of the most vulnerable people in the country.”
Local resident Juan Muñoz said he waited over a half hour at the stop located on the corner of 6th and Soto streets. He and many others didn’t know about the “sick-out.” Muñoz believes it was a long-time coming, but said it still causes frustration.
“I’m on buses all day,” said Muñoz, 75. “I get the job is hard, but the city should at least have someone driving people waiting. Everyone has a right to go on strike, but it affects us.”
Metro did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On April 25, Metro issued an emergency procurement declaration to install more secure partitions between drivers and passengers, as a way to keep their employees safe in the wake of recent violence against bus operators. Despite increased ridership and a general decrease in crime, a passenger was fatally stabbed on a B line train last month.
Jacob Olivo, who stood at the corner of Cesar Chavez Avenue and Soto Street, felt fortunate that he didn’t have to wait long despite the driver protests. He said he sympathized with the drivers and wasn’t surprised by their decision to protest.
“I don’t think the drivers get the respect they deserve. People think of bus drivers as disposable,” he said. Olivo admitted that sometimes he feels unsafe when “somebody sketchy” boards the bus.
Drivers have historically dealt with aggressors and violence on buses, said former Metro bus operator Kate Valdez, 24. Valdez, the program coordinator at Boyle Heights Beat, previously drove a Metro bus for eight months in 2021. She left Metro after being assaulted by a Metro rider.
“It was a big no-no for me. I didn’t feel comfortable feeling endangered at my workspace. It was the last straw for me and that’s when I started contemplating other jobs,” Valdez said.
Valdez said a climate of violence permeated the work culture throughout Metro.
“We would just share horror stories about what had happened to everyone individually. It was very common for drivers to be physically assaulted or verbally assaulted during their shifts. It’s part of the job,” she said.
Valdez said the Metro drivers’ handbook warned operators to not defend themselves against attackers, since the agency would not be able to legally defend them if a passenger was hurt. Valdez, who mostly drove in downtown L.A., was attacked by a passenger in 2021 who was demanding she stop in the middle of the intersection.
After filing a report, Valdez was frustrated by a lack of administrative support after her altercation. That’s when she decided to leave Metro. “If you can’t take care of me and I can’t take care of myself, then I don’t feel safe at all,” she said. “Things need to change.”
I take the train and bus to work ever since this has happened my daughter prefers I take Uber but who can afford it everyday not me, I now carry pepper spray and mace, I took don’t feel safe watching my every day even walking I feel unsafe…