Beyond general violence, spit is a serious job hazard of the urban transit worker—just ask the bus driver who got 60 days off after being expectorated on—so naturally something must be done to keep transit workers from facing the wet brunt of straphanger rage. In London and Boston transit workers are given DNA kits to preserve fluid samples in case unruly passengers spit on them, and now, according to the Daily News, the Brooklyn DA wants New York to follow suit. more ›

A Staten Island man has been charged in the murder of his neighbor—and police say that the shooter was out for revenge after the neighbor spat in his wife's face. Asim Martinez, 32, was caught on surveillance video shooting Tracy Francis a dozen times on September 3. According to the Daily News, Martinez also stabbed a different man in the neck with an ice pick after he had slapped Martinez's female cousin. more ›

Now that we know bus drivers can get up to two months of paid sick time after suffering the "assault" of being spit upon, what other perks have slipped into the city's union contracts? The Post dug up some strange rules about everything from overtime to classroom assignments, some of which rival the absurdity of the MTA's spitting policy. more ›

Since it was reported that 51 NYC Transit bus drivers took an average 64 paid days off last year after being spat on by passengers, the expectorated drivers have been coming forward to defend themselves and explain why they needed so much time to recover. Yesterday former city bus driver Oneisha Shade told CBS2 about the five months she took off before coming back to work after the spit assault, recalling how the saliva from an angry passenger hit her in the face and eye. But what CBS2 omitted is that Shade had also been assaulted on duty seven years earlier, when she was six months pregnant. And that attack happened with knives, not saliva! more ›

Yesterday it was reported that 51 NYC Transit bus drivers took an average 64 paid days off after being spat on by irate passengers. Some people, including members of the MTA board, thought that amount of time off was a tad excessive, but today the bus drivers and their union are pushing back. more ›

If someone came up to you right now at work and spat on you, how much time do you think you'd deserve off of work—assuming you didn't just up and quit, because they surely don't pay you enough to be a human spittoon? Well, if you're a city bus driver, you're probably going to need at least a month or two to pull yourself together. According to Joe Smith, the senior vice president of buses for NYC Transit, bus drivers who were spat on by riders got an average two months paid time off last year. Too much, or not enough? more ›

The momentary controversy over whether Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera spit on a ball is over...at least, in the eyes of the MLB. The Commissioner's office spokesman said, "From the available video and still pictures that we have, there's no evidence that Rivera spit on the ball." more ›