TTC workers face violence and harassment on the job but many fear reporting it, report finds

It's been over 10 days since Nelish Nazarali was knocked to the ground by a stranger who stole her phone out of her pocket, but the Toronto transit worker says she's still shaken by the incident and afraid to leave her bus.

On the morning of Dec. 5, Nazarali had parked her car and was walking to the Long Branch Loop stop to use the washroom, when she says someone knocked her over and made off with her phone.

"Every time I close my eyes, I imagine that. At night, I am having nightmares," Nazarali said.

The bus operator of over 13 years shared her story as part of the launch of a new report by the Amalgamated Transit Union local 113, which represents some 12,000 transit workers with the Toronto Transit Commission.

Released ahead of Transit Worker Assault Awareness Day on Dec. 17, the report found 73 per cent of respondents reported experiencing violence on the transit system and 50 per cent reported facing harassment. Of those, just 56 per cent felt comfortable reporting violence and 30 per cent reported their harassment.

The self-selected survey was sent electronically to approximately 11,500 union members, with hard copies also distributed when requested. Some 3,131 members responded, resulting in a response rate of 27.3 per cent.

'You do not not come to work to be abused'

The numbers come amid a string of violent incidents on TTC property this past year, the latest including the alleged murder of 31-year-old Vanessa Kurpiewska, who police say was killed in a random attack.

In June, a 27-year-old woman was set on fire on a TTC bus and later died. And in April, a woman was pushed onto the subway tracks at Bloor-Yonge station, surviving by pressing herself against the subway platform to avoid being hit by an oncoming train.

"It's disturbing to everybody. We don't want violence to happen, but there's a serious problem," ATU president Marvin Alfred told CBC Toronto. "You do not come to work to be assaulted, you do not come to work to be abused. You want to be available to deliver safe transit, but at the same time you want to have some sort of sanctuary.

"Our members tell us they face violence or harassment at work, but they don't always report it to their managers because they don't have any faith the issues will be addressed," Alfred said.

As part of the report, the union issued a number of recommendations including better management and support for employees, more follow up after an incident is reported, better reporting processes and improving security to prevent violence and harassment from happening in the first place.

That last recommendation includes protective barriers and better coordination with special constables. But Alfred also says he always wants to see the City of Toronto do more to help house the homeless and those with mental health conditions who may turn to the TTC for shelter.

While Transit Worker Assault Awareness Day was designated by Mayor John Tory in 2021 to bring attention to the abuse that transit workers face on the job, Alfred says part of the reason the survey was conducted is because the union feels the TTC isn't doing enough to gather information about the realities of being a transit worker.

"We know that being the eyes and ears of the system, no one has a better idea of what's happening and what can affect transit workers and transit riders. So we want that data that we're providing to the employer to be acted upon," said Alfred.

'Still work to be done,' TTC chair acknowledges

In a news release Friday, TTC Chair Jon Burnside said the agency has taken numerous actions to support frontline workers and bring awareness to the violence they face. Those actions include conducting 6,000 face-to-face "safety talks" with frontline employees, holding over 20 sessions to educate frontline workers on available supports and providing conflict avoidance and de-escalation training.

The TTC's action plan has also included extending the partnership with the city's Streets to Homes program, which has led to services offered to individuals 322 times and accepted 77 times.

"However, we recognize that there is still work to be done and we continue to look at solutions to help support our employees," Burnside said.

TTC CEO Rick Leary had a similar message.

"We all know that violence can quickly lead to devastating consequences. Assaults on our employees are unacceptable, and we will continue to work with all our partners to bring an end to these terrible incidents," Leary said.

The news release also indicates that as recently as October 2022, the number of reported offences against employees was 6.12 per 100 employees, down 10 per cent from the same time last year.

But reported incidents don't tell the whole story, emphasizes Alfred, who says the union's recommendations take specific aim at the fact that transit workers often don't feel comfortable coming forward.

"There's concerns about reprisal, those concerns about it falling upon deaf ears that it will not be acted upon," said Alfred. "And that's something the TTC needs to address."