MBTA Chief Phil Eng Admits Hair-Pulling Incident as Lawyers Fault Lack of Independent Probe 2 Years Later
Updated
Updated · The Boston Globe · Jul 6
MBTA Chief Phil Eng Admits Hair-Pulling Incident as Lawyers Fault Lack of Independent Probe 2 Years Later
1 articles · Updated · The Boston Globe · Jul 6
Summary
Phil Eng acknowledged he pulled the hair of a direct report at an MBTA team dinner in late 2024, saying he learned days later it was an issue and apologized.
Employment lawyers said physical contact by a top executive should have triggered an independent investigation even without a formal complaint, but the MBTA has not explained what review, if any, it conducted.
Questions remain over whether Eng was removed from any decisions involving the employee, who WCVB reported was negotiating an exit from the agency, and whether the MBTA board or outside counsel got involved.
Governor Maura Healey still backs Eng, who also serves as interim transportation secretary and earns a $484,206 base salary, despite the incident becoming public last month.
The episode clouds a tenure in which Eng had won praise for nearly eliminating slow zones and improving ridership, while exposing governance concerns at a public agency he leads.