The Annals of Disability: Post Traumatic Spitting Syndrome

May 25th, 2010 by

The Insider scans the world of risk in a risky world. We try to zero in on hazards that might be overlooked in the rush of daily commerce. In that spirit we bring you the distasteful but necessary tale from the New York Times involving bus drivers in New York City, a number of whom have suffered prolonged disability due to the unsanitary habits of riders.
Unhappy riders may express their displeasure in any number of ways, including the unfortunate choice of spitting on the bus driver. I am sure we all sympathize with these uniformed public servants who are simply doing their jobs. You cannot please everyone all the time, especially in the Big Apple.
It’s what happens after these incidents that is really puzzling. One third of all the assaults that prompted a bus operator to take paid leave in 2009 involved spitting, 51 in all. The MTA defines these “spat upon” incidents as assaults. The 51 drivers who went on paid leave after a spitting incident took, on average, 64 days off work — the equivalent of three months with pay. One driver spent 191 days on paid leave.
Before we jump to conclusions like irate citizens running after a bus, let’s listen to John Samuelson, president of the transit union:

“Being spat upon — having a passenger spit in your face, spit in your mouth, spit in your eye — is a physically and psychologically traumatic experience. If transit workers are assaulted, they are going to take off whatever amount of time they are going to take off to recuperate.” [Emphasis added.]

Mr. Samuelson has given us one of the most compelling definitions of disability I have ever encountered: workers are going to “take off whatever amount of time they are going to take off to recuperate.” It’s not a matter of medically (or psychologically) necessary time away from work, but the amount of time the worker deems necessary. Who needs a doctor when the drivers are empowered to determine the extent of their own disabilities?
Tough Times, Not-So-Tough Drivers
The MTA is facing a budget shortfall of $400 million. It’s tempting to conclude that tightening up a bit on eligibility for “Post Traumatic Spitting Syndrome” (PTSS – you first read about it here!) might help reduce that deficit. Heck, it might even make the riding public a bit more sympathetic to bus operators.
Nancy Shevell, the chairwoman of the transit authority’s bus committee, questions whether three months’ off is a bit excessive.
“You have to wonder if you can go home and shower off, take a nap, take off the rest of the day and maybe the next day,” she said. “When it gets strung out for months, you start to wonder.”
As we peruse the annals disability – mostly real and painful, occasionally trumped up – we do indeed begin to wonder who is in control in New York, just who is driving – in this case, not driving – the bus.

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