Protest Set Over Loss Of Elevator Operators In Uptown Train Stations

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — An uptown elected official is teaming up with a union for a protest Thursday demanding that the MTA cancel plans to eliminate elevator operators at five train stations in Washington Heights.

The protest will take place at 10:30 a.m. at the 168th Street 1 and A train station.

"Our Subway Stations are the deepest in the City — with elevators that go down 20 stories into bedrock," Transport Workers Union Local 100 Vice President Robert Kelley said in a news release. "For years, New York City Transit has recognized the importance of having those elevators staffed by transit workers, some of whom are on restricted duty, unable to do heavy lifting after years of service."

The elevator operators, who stay on the elevator and control its movement, have typically provided service within the 168th, 181st, and 190th street A-line stations, and the 181st and 191st street 1-line stations.

The 191st Street station is the deepest in the system at 180-feet below the street level.

"These elevator operators provide customer service – and a sense of safety and security to riders – in deep-cavern stations that can feel particularly desolate and forbidding," Jackson said in a news release.

The elevator operators have already been called off their posts, but that will be finalized in mid-July.

Demetrius Crichlow, the NYC Transit Senior Vice President and the Head of Subways, told Patch that the elimination of elevator operators at the 168th Street 1 train station has to do with new and improved safety measures within the elevators and the relocation of workers.

“New York City Transit has invested $172 million into funding the replacement of the elevators at these stations resulting in substantially improved reliability," Crichlow said. "Each of these new elevators have built-in cameras and functionality for customers to communicate in an emergency to both the station booth and the Operations Control Center."

"Rather than assigning transit employees to select floors for riders to disembark, we will be reallocating these valuable resources to providing a cleaner station environment for customers," he added.

New York City Transit also took into consideration the physical limitations that current elevator operators might have.

The station cleaners program was relaunched in March 2023 after a hiatus during the pandemic.