AVP Kemp Blasts Transit Management on Systemwide Radio Outage

DECEMBER 17—At the MTA Board's public comment period this morning, TWU Local 100 Administrative VP Alexander Kemp took agency bosses to task for a massive bus radio outage that started yesterday and is still not fixed.

In a tightly-worded two-minute speech, the time limit set by the MTA, Kemp noted that Bus Operators are without access to working radios, and that members in the past have been physically, sexually and verbally assaulted. 

"The second you have an emergency, you press this radio, and help is on the way—but what happens when you press the button and help is not on the way?" Kemp said.

The Admin VP added that bus radios are "their last line and their first line of defense," and that New York City Transit's own policies forbid Bus Operators from carrying cellphones, but that the Authority is now telling operators to use them in an emergency.

"If you attempt to use the solution we provide to you, you could potentially be fired," said Kemp. 

Kemp said the union's position is that any bus without a working radio is unsafe and should not be in service.

MaBSTOA Vice President Donald Yates confirmed that the outage is still not fixed.

"t's a very unsafe situation for us because we rely on that radio. We were told it was a systemwide blackout," said Yates.