Colorlines: Who’s Going to Fix NYC Subways After Hurricane Sandy? Blacks and Latinos

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As workers and city officials try tirelessly to get the Big Apple back up and running, it’s worth taking a minute to look at how race keeps the city going. Chances are, if you were stuck inside and had the luxury of ordering a pizza or calling an emergency worker about downed power lines, that worker was likely someone of color. In his presser this morning, Bloomberg noted how dangerous the work is to get the subways back on track. “Subway workers have to walk the thousands of miles of track to inspect the subway tunnels,” the mayor said. Here’s a quick demographic look at New York City’s subway workers:

• Three out of five urban transit workers are black or Latino.

• A majority are at least 45 years old.

• Nearly 80 percent are New York City residents.

• Almost 35 percent live in Brooklyn.

• The works is, almost by definition, is a health hazard. 

It’s almost a right of passage to complain about a city’s subway system, and no matter what city you’re in, transit workers are almost always represented poorly by the media and criticized for issues that are far beyond their control. But it’s in times like these when we all start to realize just how important their work is to our lives.

(via karnythia)