Media Turns Out as Bus Operator Describes Beat-Down by Teens; Union Pushes for Partitions in W'Chester

The media turned out in force Wednesday, June 15, for a TWU Local 100 press conference in Yonkers on the assault of Liberty Lines Bus Operator Burin Sylej.

Vice President of Private Lines Pete Rosconi told the assembled press contingent that Local 100 President Tony Utano would push for partitions in Liberty Lines buses.

Sylej described how three teenagers threw bottles, punches and kicks at him in the Bronx on Sunday at the southern end of a Westchester-Bronx route.

More than 15 reporters, photographers and television camera operators from outlets like The Westchester Journal, News12 Westchester, 1010 WINS radio, WCBS Channel 2 and WNBC Channel 4 came to the presser at the Local 100 satelite office on Saw Mill River Road in Yonkers.

Read an excellent report in the local paper here.

Local 100 asked former Westchester County Robert Astorino to retrofit Liberty Lines’ buses with safety partitions but the Republican refused. TWU will now reach out to new County Executive George Latimer, a Democrat, who defeated Astorino in November.