LOS ANGELES (KNX) - The Los Angeles Metro’s transit ambassadors are headed to a union vote this week, citing dangerous working conditions, low wages, and a lack of health insurance.
The ambassador program, which only fully launched in March, is part of Metro’s plan to improve public safety. Nearly 300 ambassadors patrol buses, trains, and stations to report crime, assist riders, and connect unhoused people with services.
But the job is much more intense than simply helping riders with their TAP cards, workers say — they’re more akin to social workers, regularly dealing with mental health crises, violent passengers, and drug overdoses.
Fabian Bolanos, one of the leaders of the union drive, told the Los Angeles Daily News that he’s had to administer Narcan to reverse overdoses four times.
A February report from Metro’s Chief Safety Officer found that in the first two months of 2023, 21 people died on trains and buses in the Metro system, mostly from overdoses. That’s the same number of deaths reported for the entirety of 2022.
Another recent report shows that while violent and property crimes on Metro rails fell in March 2023, assaults on bus and rail operators skyrocketed to 23 in one month. Just weeks ago, one bus driver was near-fatally stabbed in Woodland Hills.
Rather than being directly employed by Metro, the ambassadors are third-party contractors hired by Strive Well-Being, a San Diego-based fitness and wellness company. As contractors, they’re not eligible for Metro benefits or wages.
Bolanos told the Daily News that the ambassadors make $23.50 an hour, about $5 of which is supposed to go towards finding their own health insurance. Ambassadors are seeking higher wages, as well as healthcare, break rooms, and regular performance reviews to help them seek raises or promotions.
The ambassador program faced backlash from unionized Metro security employees last month, who filed a petition accusing Metro of outsourcing their union’s work to third-party contractors.
About 100 ambassadors employed by Strive Well-Being plan to hold a union vote later this week.
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