ATU President Criticizes Metro Board for Inaction and Ignoring Workers in New Op-Ed

President of ATU Local 689 Jackie Jeter called on Metro's board of directors to address the recent safety concerns raised by the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) latest report, pointing out that Metro workers pointed out these concerns long ago, but received no response. “We are tired of waiting for the next accident or fatality before something gets done,” she said in a Sunday op-ed in the Washington Post. “The members and leadership of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 have made numerous attempts to work with Metro on developing a safety culture.” Jeter continued to say that all of ATU’s attempts to solve any safety issues were ignored by the Metro Board of Directors. She hopes that the new FTA report will provide the push needed to finally make a positive change. However, she added, “changing means more than just new safety rules and regulations. There has to be the effort to enact, teach and apply safety standards so that every employee can follow the directives.” Read the full article here. photo: ATU members speak out at a hearing on Metro safety. photo Courtesy of ATU Local 689

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