New York City transit workers on hunt for nastiest rat image

Transit workers in New York City are fed up with some of their working conditions, so to solve the problem they are holding a contest that brings new meaning to the term "rat race".

Members of the Transit Workers Union are asking riders to send in their nastiest photos and videos of rats in the subway system for a chance to win a free unlimited monthly pass. This may be a small prize considering rodents always get to ride for free.

"Who the hell wants to work around hundreds of freaking rats?" said Jim Gannon, a Transit Workers Union spokesperson, to Reuters.

So far, entries include (if you are eating, you may want to stop now) a beer-swigging party rat, one climbing a mountain of garbage bags and a bunch of rats having a picnic.

The Rat Free Subway website says the problem is becoming worse and rats are getting bolder about being on platforms and have even been known to bite riders.

"Since 2010, the MTA has raised fares while cutting the cleaners who deal with trash in station," reads a note on the video for the contest. "It has led to more rats in your station or on your train."

The workers say while riders see rats, the majority of the animals are in refuse rooms in which they work. The union is pushing the contest in hopes of negotiating with management to hire more cleaners.

In defense, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it routinely clears platforms and tracks of trash, which attract rats. They also said they are putting rodent-resistant trash cans in stations and they put poison in non-public areas.

While the problem in major Canadian cities doesn't seem to be nearly as bad as that in New York, Toronto Life reports pest control specialists say their business has shot up since the Toronto garbage strike in 2009. That smelly event sparked a vermin baby boom during the hot summer months.

Rats are kept from the platforms at Toronto Transit Commission subway stations through regular cleanups, but because track cleanup can only be done when the system is closed, rodents can still be seen scurrying around at track level. For extra measure, the TTC distributes rodenticides at the ends of each platform every four months, according to Toronto Life.

As for the situation in New York, the workers have had some success since beginning to shine a spotlight on the problem. The MTA is promising to clean 20 stations, but the workers say more needs to be done as that is less than four per cent of the stations system-wide.

The contest was supposed to end on Sunday, but has been extended for an additional week.

(Reuters photo)