UPDATE: In a second incident today, a striking De Camp driver, Chuck Bennett, was grazed by a De Camp bus being pulled out of the depot by a scab driver just before 6 p.m. According to union spokespeople, Bennett was not seriously injured but was evaluated by EMS. Police are, once again, on the scene.
A fight broke out between management and striking workers today, when, according to the labor union, a DeCamp dispatcher bodily charged at a bus driver, Wilfredo “Willy” DeJesus. DeJesus, a former part-time De Camp employee who now works as a NJT driver in Oradell — where he earns between $26 and $37/hour (depending on overtime), compared with the $13/hour that De Camp drivers get — is on vacation this week, and came from his Pennsylvania home to walk the line as a show of support. “It’s something we do for each other whenever there’s a strike in the union,” DeJesus explained. “It’s tiring to walk all day in the heat, so we relieve the strikers and keep the line going while they rest. I just came for a peaceful demonstration today, and didn’t expect any trouble.”
Laborers said the dispatcher had been taunting the strikers all day from a window, yelling and gesturing. A little before 1 p.m., according to DeJesus and numerous other union witnesses, the dispatcher — who refused to comment over the phone and explicitly forbid us to use his name — came outside and began to shout at DeJesus. “He’s a heavyweight guy, about 6’6″ and maybe 250 pounds,” said the 5′ 3″ DeJesus in a private conversation with Baristanet, after he left the scene. According to DeJesus, the dispatcher was frightening and threatening, shouting “You don’t even work here, what the fu*k you doing here? When I get off (work) I’m gonna whoop your a*s.”
The next thing DeJesus, knew, he was being physically charged by the large man. “I was scared and wanted to defend myself, so I picked up a construction cone — your know those orange ones — and I threw it at him as he was running at me,” he said. “It hit him, but didn’t even slow him down. He grabbed me in a wrestling move around my neck, punched me and I fell, with the dispatcher on top of me.” DeJesus sustained an abrasion and contusion on his forehead, as well as scratches on his neck and chest.
As his fellow union members pulled the two apart, one other bus operator– Elisa Robinson — fell and scraped her knee. Several people, including DeJesus, dialed 911. DeJesus showed me on his phone log that he placed the call at 12:58 p.m. “The police got here really quickly, along with EMS. They checked me out and talked to me about concussions, but I just wanted to go home to my family, so I refused to go to the hospital.”
After today’s incident, Willy says he’s through with DeCamp, and won’t be coming back to walk this particular line again.
Police at the scene would not discuss the incident, and DeCamp refused to comment.
why is this not surprising? it’s a real problem for all concerned.
I happen to be driving by right at this “went down.” Of course I ddrroovvee rreeaall ssllooww to check it out.
It looked heated. But some folks were just watching as if it was almost normal, or expected.
The best part was that there was a train pulling into the Walnut station and 2 cop cars went AROUND the RxR barrier to cross the tracks, but another waited like: “I ain’t hit by a train for those DeCamp fools…..”
Best thing about the strike– The major roads are QUIET!!!! And since the west wing of my palatial estate touches one, I have to say, while I support my Union brotha’s and sista’s, it’s nice to have a quiet west wing.
Nice on the spot reporting by the intrepid Prof.
For a moment I imagined what a general transportation strike would do to quiet Baristaville. No planes, trains or buses. Ah, sweet silence.
What a bunch of lunkheads.
If this dispatcher is the same nasty one I know from my old Port Authority commuting days, I am not surprised. That guy was a real jerk!
Sigh. looks like this strike could last a while.
🙁
Tempted to say let them kill each other and have God sort them out. Oh, I just said it, didn’t I?
Mr. Pard: Your organization stinks from the head down. Time to give it up. I hear they need someone to muck out the stables at Monmouth Racetrack.
I would hope the cops took the angry dispatcher away in hand cuffs.
Guy sounds like a bully and a jerk (not sure how that makes him stand out from any other De Camp employee I ever interacted with… but, still!).
It would really be nice if this could be worked out without all the childish antics and immaturity.
Mojoe: Please don’t insult children like that. Even the brattiest kids are more civilized and well-behaved than these union thugs.
im sure everyone saw the jobs print on friday. not bad, beat the consensus, but still a net negative on the back of expiring census jobs… bottom line 9.6% of the country is looking for work and cant get it…. real number is higher, think the U6 is like 16%+…. you think the drivers would be happy that they are employed, period. there are a lot of people that would probably love to have their jobs at the same comp/benefit level or even less. i dont get it.
Is it too much to hope that the drivers’ attitudes will be part of the negotiations?
A few of my co-workers came out one weekend for brunch and said that the DeCamp drivers don’t hold a candle to NYC drivers or anyone else (Not even NYC cab drivers). They could not believe how rude their driver was (Staring straight ahead and refusing to answer when they wanted to confirm their stop). How has this town put up with this for so long?
Union thugs? Excuse me, but wasn’t the attacker here anti-union? Wasn’t the victim here the union guy?
Anything new on the strike? Went to DeCamp web site and found nada, no surprises there. There WAS a post in the comments section…from 2009!
DeCamp provides an alternati
I retired in May. No more commutes for me!
NJT drivers make TWICE what DeCamp drivers make and have better benefits! DeCamp management is asking for givebacks! NJT gets government subsidies, Decamp doesn’t. If Decamp goes out of business, there will be no buses, and NJT may not pick up the lines or add more trains. Then the New York trains will all be standing room only, and NJT profits will increase by the fares of 7000 riders (minus those who can’t take the train and lose their jobs). The Star Ledger and other papers don’t print facts like this. They only interview people who are already train riders and who don’t care about people affected by this problem. Unless the strike can be settled, everybody stands to suffer. Newspapers don’t give the public the facts, and the public is misinformed and put pressure on the wrong parties. The government should subsedize Decamp so that the company can give their employees wages and benefits equal to NJT.
I am a Decamp commuter.
Wait a minute. DeCamp drivers only get $13 per hour? That is ridiculous. Fares at a minimum of $6.25 each way – and that’s all they get paid? No wonder they’re always so crabby.
Last time I was on a bus, was in 1969 !
The strike is probably with good cause.
I have found the human nature of people
is to take advantage of others, where
and when they are able to do so.
In this case, I think the commuters are the only ones being taken advantage of.
@dumbtiger . . are you serious? You want state governement money to subsidize this crappy bus line? G-dd-mn, THIS is the reason sane people are fleeing this state. Gubbmint is NOT the answer. Dang.
If DeCamp goes out of business, the business will be picked up by other existing or new, better-managed entitie. That is called C-A-P-I-T-A-L-I-S-M. I’m sorry, but DeCamp is NOT too big to fail. Those 7500 people put in the lurch by the UNION here (I am one fo them), will just have to find a new way into work. I am already looking for a long-term, non-DeCamp, solution. I will not be using DeCamp any longer, regardless of how convenient it is.
injustice.
mand has a past of violence and trouble, not a good guy, I knew him in high school, heard rumors hes a wife beater to, but hey thats all i hear.
jorge.