ATU Local 689 has launched an online petition calling on local District officials to move forward on the DC Streetcar and rehire workers who want to unionize. "While the DC Streetcar has boosted economic development along the H Street corridor, it hasn’t fulfilled its promise of reconnecting neighborhoods or improving mobility," says Local 689. "Instead of DDOT exercising oversight of the streetcar, it has outsourced responsibility to French-owned RDMT/McDonald Transit. The result: lack of transparency, poor design, constant delay, safety concerns, and a hostile work environment for employees, including the mass termination of eight workers for union activity." H Street-area residents deserve transit that works, and streetcar operators deserve the right to representation, the union adds. "The time for action on the streetcar is now. No more costly delays, no more worker intimidation. Fix it, staff it, start it!"