Chicago transit employees drivers push for armed guards on buses, trains
CHICAGO IL July 3 2021 – CTA drivers are pushing to add armed guards on buses and trains as gun violence plagues Chicago.
The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241 insists bus drivers feel uneasy while moving around the city.
“We need something that is going to slow down the attacks on the drivers and passengers. Unarmed security guards are just as equal as a bus driver,” Keith Hill, President of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241 said. “We are not here to get jumped on, or attacked, spit on, buses shot at.”
Chicago police currently provide the security for the CTA. However, Hill said he knows officers are stretched thin.
“The city violence is out of control. Police are very busy trying to tackle what is going on throughout the city,” Hill said. “No matter what side of town we are on, from the North Side to the South Side.”
The CTA released the following statement Thursday in response:
“The safety and security of our employees is our top priority, and we work very closely with the Chicago police. Those efforts have resulted in a more than 40 percent drop in crime so far this year.”
“In regards to the drop, you have to remember last year, the city was on lockdown, no one was riding,” Hill said. “That should let you know it is an increase, not a drop.”
However, the CTA also said they do not plan to hire armed security guards.
“To me, by them saying that it is not a conversation, is showing me that they do not care about our safety,” said Hill.
