INWOOD — Community leaders gathered to demand swift action against a MTA supervisor accused of sexually harassing a female employee — adding that the city needs stronger protections for all female staffers who report sexual harassment.
Uptown community leaders and the Transport Workers Union Local 100, President John Samuelsen and State Sen. Adriano Espaillat gathered Friday at an Inwood bus depot where a female staffer was allegedly sexually harassed in April — saying the case has yet to reach resolution a month and a half later.
MTA employee Nancy Jenkins claimed she was inside an MTA dispatcher office at the Kingsbridge Bus Depot on April 9 in order to receive her daily work assignment when her supervisor licked her from her face to her elbow, the Daily News reported last month.
Adding insult to injury, Jenkins said she learned he was still working at the depot after she filed a sexual harassment complaint and returned to work.
"This incident and its handling by the MTA is a reminder that there must be zero tolerance for sexual harassment at the work place," Espaillat told DNAinfo.com New York. "There must be swift action taken to protect the right of this, and all women, to earn a living without fear of harassment and intimidation."
MTA officials said its investigation is on-going.
"We take the report of any such incident very seriously, but no decision on disciplinary action will be made prior to the completion of the investigation, which is ongoing," wrote Charles Seaton in an email Friday.
TWU leader Samuelsen called on the MTA to “create better conditions for the hard-working men and women who make New York City run,” adding the incident represents a failure on the part of the MTA to fairly treat its workers.
"While we are shocked and disgusted by the most recent case of our workers being violated,” he said in a public statement, “we know this is about more than just one case.”
Judith Amaro, president of the National Organization for Women (NOW) Northern Manhattan Chapter, also participated in Friday’s event, calling for the swift resolution of the case.
“We cannot and will not tolerate the harassment of women in the workplace,” she said. “We stand united in calling for the MTA to act decisively and create a better work environment where all employees, including women, feel safe from harassment.”
