NJ Transit to ‘Humanize’ Conductors Who Face Commuter Wrath

(Bloomberg) -- New Jersey Transit will videotape train conductors on the job to try to “humanize” crews that have felt the wrath of commuters amid a rash of delays and cancellations.

The plans to video were disclosed in a post on the website of Local 60 of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers. Some passengers of the cash-strapped railroad sometimes gripe on social media about alleged mistreatment by conductors, while others praise beloved staffers, some who’ve worked the same routes for decades. Past posts by the union have mentioned a spate of assaults in recent months.

In a memo to members, General Chairman Jerome C. Johnson said the union had met with Stewart Mader, the agency’s customer advocate, and discussed members’ passenger interaction.

“NJ Transit will be shooting a video of the crew, from the beginning of their shift to the end,” and posting the footage to social media, Johnson wrote. “This is an attempt to humanize our members to the riding public.”

Governor Phil Murphy, who came to office in January 2018, has vowed to turn around the nation’s largest statewide mass-transit operator after years of budget cuts by his predecessor left its trains less reliable, more crowded and short on engineers. Commuters in recent weeks have complained about cancellations and equipment breakdowns amid a series of heat waves.

Recording will take place over the next two weeks in the Hoboken and Newark areas, according to Jim Smith, an NJ Transit spokesman. Material will be shot and processed in-house, he said.

“Our customers may find it interesting to learn about the many responsibilities of the train crew beyond revenue collection, including how they put a train into service from the yard, safety responsibilities and generally a unique look into working on the railroad,” Smith said in an email.

To contact the reporter on this story: Elise Young in Trenton at eyoung30@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Flynn McRoberts at fmcroberts1@bloomberg.net, Stacie Sherman

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