Above: Jim Evers, president of the Boston Carmen’s Union Local 589, is shown during a tour of one of the bus facilities recently. Photos courtesy Boston Carmen’s Union
For the longest time, public transit employees, like bus drivers, had to simply grin and bear it if they were assaulted. The reason? They didn’t have the same protections as other public employees.
Enter the new “Assaults Stop Now” law that Gov. Maura Healey signed back on March 3.
Members of the Boston Carmen’s Union Local 589 – which represents thousands of train drivers, bus drivers, and other front line public transit staff – offer full applause for the legislation, which makes assault or battery on a public transit worker a felony punishable by imprisonment for at least 90 days or a fine of at least $500.
The first prosecution under the new law will take place in a court hearing on June 17, when a Jamaica Plain man will face charges that include one for indecently assaulting a female MBTA Silver Line driver in March.
“It’s been a systemic problem for many years,” said Carmen’s President Jim Evers. “Our bus drivers in particular have had to deal with this for a long time. We’ve been pushing this for more than six years to get it passed.
“What people would commonly do is they would spit on or assault a driver. The only thing the driver could do is order them off the bus. Then they would just leave and get on the next bus…All that could really happen is to give them a summons to appear in court and they would claim they have no ID. So they would just get away with it.”
Evers said the message over the last few years was that it was “open season” on bus drivers, train operators, and transit workers. To back that up, the Carmen’s Union pointed to the fact that in 2024 there were 72 physical assaults on their members, and 38 assaults with bodily fluids. The increase has been alarming, he said, and really began to pick up after the pandemic.
Jim Evers, second from right, president of the Boston Carmen’s Union, gathered with transit workers and union officials during a walk-through at Nubian Square Bus Station recently.
“Public transportation employees do important work every day to keep our trains and buses moving on time and ensure the safety of all passengers,” said Healey in a statement. “They should never be subject to any form of assault simply for doing their jobs. This bill ensures that they have the protections they deserve and will enhance safety for all users of our public transportation system.”
The union lauded state Sen. Nick Collins, of South Boston, and state Rep. Joe McGonagle, of Everett, for pushing the bill through the Legislature.
“Assaults on transit workers have been on the rise,” said Collins. “That’s why we needed to change the law to strengthen protections for essential transit workers and increase accountability on those who break the law. The Court needs to send a strong message that violence against a transit workers will not be tolerated and that those responsible will be held accountable.”
For his part, William Berardino, the union’s vice president, said, “The days of assaulting public transportation workers without fear of reprisal must come to an end — and this bill will help immensely to that goal.”
The case in point on June 17 involves Michael Vandenbroeke, 41, of Jamaica Plain, who has been was charged with several crimes for the March 26 assault – including, for the first time, an assault and battery case on a public employee who is a transit worker.
It is alleged by prosecutors that Vandenbroeke sexually assaulted the female bus driver upon boarding the Silver Line bus at Massachusetts Avenue and Washington Street in the South End around noon on March 26. As he boarded the bus, they say, he picked up a perfume bottle that had fallen, and in the process of handing it to the victim, he grabbed her face, poked her in the eyes, and groped her chest area.
After she yelled at him to stop, he reportedly went to the back of the bus and exited a few stops later. Video surveillance captured the incident and police identified Vandenbroeke, arresting him in Roxbury on March 30.
The Carmen’s Union said its members will be out in force on June 17 in Boston Municipal Court for Vandenbroeke’s hearing to show support for the driver’s case.
