MTA workers

There are currently 8.6 million people living in New York City, and that is not including the 62.8 million tourists that visit per year. The New York City Subway System is responsible for the transportation of more than 5 million people a day 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, and  the transportation of about 1.6 billion people a year. There are a total of 468 subway stations and 6,380 subway cars traveling along 669 miles of subway tracks. In order to keep this gigantic system running there are 50,129 people employed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

In order to keep this gigantic system running there are 50,129 people employed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. MTA workers have a wide variety of jobs ranging from subway conductors, security personnel, engineers, architects, mechanics, business administration, construction workers, and many more. The women and man who run this system are barley credited for the work they do to make sure trains are on time, the subway is kept clean, you understand where you are going, you are kept safe, and many more huge responsibilities. Most of the attention MTA workers face is from people who are unsatisfied with their experience at the time, which leads them to lash out against the workers.

People employed by the MTA have a clause in their contract which keeps them from discussing their job with the press. A reporter from the nypost was able to find retired and anonymous workers willing to discuss their jobs.   Workers report being punched, spit on, cursed at, and much more from the lovely people of New York for things that are evidently not of their fault. On top of the verbal and physical abuse the workers face, the working conditions are below par. Train conductors reported going home at the end of the day and blowing their nose to find steel dust in their tissues. Although the conditions may not be the best, most workers are generously paid for their time. The nypost reports that “One in four Metropolitan Transportation Authority employees made $100,000 or more in 2014”. In 2016 the MTA paid 4.7 billion dollars in salaries and 849 million dollars in over time. NYC’s average income is about 60,000 dollars a year, so more than 25% of all MTA employes make above the average.