Metro workers yesterday voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, with union members lining up inside and outside the ATU 689 union hall to cast their votes. The frustrated Metro workers accuse WMATA General Manager Paul Weidefeld of bad-faith bargaining; they’ve been working without a new contract since July 2016 and have been in arbitration since talks collapsed last fall. Adding insult to injury, the union says WMATA has been contracting out union work recently. Things came to a head late last week when WMATA threatened some workers with suspensions, prompting Local 689 president Jackie Jeter to warn Weidefeld that if he suspended anyone for three days, the entire local “WILL BE TAKING A 3 DAY SUSPENSION.” Sunday’s vote does not guarantee a strike; “There are a lot of possibilities,” said ATU 689 Communications Director David Stephen. In an interesting historical note, July 19 is the 40th anniversary of the 1978 wildcat Metro strike that shut down the system, over very similar issues. photo courtesy ATU 689
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