WIVT reports, the Civil Service Employees Association, one of New York State’s largest labor organizations, has called on Governor Kathy Hochul (D) and lawmakers “to make the protection of highway workers a top priority as they near the legislative season.” The union wants existing laws strengthened and new traffic offense penalties introduced.
A union local president commented, “Every day, CSEA members work in dangerous conditions, often within mere feet of speeding traffic. . . . It is time for lawmakers to recognize the growing threat and take meaningful steps to protect [highway workers].”
Two recent events precipitated the call for action. On November 4, a New York Thruway Authority maintenance supervisor was struck and killed while working on I-90. NYSDOT subsequently released a video showing the narrow escape of a worker when a box truck slammed into maintenance vehicles parked on an I-81 shoulder in Broome County.