Labor Updates (5/7/08)

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
Making METRO Safer: Congress “should swiftly approve” legislation to stiffen penalties for assaults on Metrobus workers, says ATU Local 689 Recording Secretary Anthony Garland in a Sunday Washington Post Editorial. “I operated a Metrobus for more than 20 years. I know firsthand what it's like to have your life threatened by a passenger wielding a gun or knife…While there is no silver bullet to end all attacks, the legislation before Congress moves the issue of safety in the right direction.” The DC City Council recently passed the legislation (DC Council Increases Metro Worker Safety 4/7/08 UC) but Congress must approve the bill before it is enacted. Click here to read Garland’s full editorial.