Metro Washington Council elects first woman president

Jackie Jeter has been a pioneer at Amalgamated Transit Workers Local 689 and last night she blazed a new trail when she was elected president of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO, becoming the first woman to head the DC labor organization. Tefere Gebre, Executive Vice-President of the AFL-CIO, praised Jeter’s election as a signal that organized labor leaders are becoming more reflective of the workers they represent. “Jackie Jeter is well known as a fearless and determined leader who keeps the interests of working people uppermost in all she does,” Gebre (below) said. Jeter, elected unanimously at the Metro Council along with a 25-member Executive Board (see below), said that “Our board represents the best of two worlds: battle-tested veterans and new leaders eager to take up the fight. Together, we can make a real difference for working people in our region.” Jeter, currently serving her fourth term as president of the ATU Local 689, began her trade union career as a shop steward and advanced through the leadership ranks. She’ll continue to serve as a full-time president of Local 689 while Executive Director Carlos Jimenez runs the day-to-day operations at the Metro Council. The Metro Council includes nearly 200 affiliated local unions representing a broad cross-section of 150,000 area workers, from athletes to writers, government workers to the construction trades in the metro Washington area. "We're rolling up our sleeves and getting to work!" Jeter said. 
2016-2019 Metro Washington Council Executive Board: 1st VP: Gino Renne, UFCW 1994 MCGEO; 2nd VP: Andrew Washington, AFSCME Council 20; 3rd VP: Sandra Falwell, DCNA; Secretary: Dena Briscoe, APWU 140; Treasurer: Eric Bunn, AFGE District 14; Board members: Jim Griffin, IBEW 1900; Steve Courtien; DC 51/CHOICE; Chuck Clay, IATSE 22; Dan Dyer, OPEIU 2; Carl Goldman, AFSCME Council 26; Don Havard, IUOE 99; Larry Greenhill Sr, IBEW 26; Doris Reed, ASASP; Ed Smith, IAFF 36; Dave Richardson, AFGE 12; John Shields, SMART 100; Cynthia Collins, SEIU 400-PG; Mike Flood, AFSCME 2921; Aaron Bast, Iron 5; Jaime Contreras, SEIU 32BJ; Liz Davis, WTU 6; Trustees: Mark Federici, UFCW 400; Dan Fields, SEIU 722; Tommy Ratliff, Teamsters 639. report/photos by Chris Garlock