Court Upholds Metro Worker Wage Increase

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)It took 18 long months, but Metro employees have finally won their agreed-upon wage increase. “We won!” Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689 President Jackie Jeter  announced last Friday, as the ATU 689 headquarters erupted in cheers. ATU Local 689 was forced to file suit against Metro in November 2009 to force the transit authority to abide by the arbitration award of annual raises of 3% for 2009-2011, which U.S District Court Judge Peter Messitte upheld last Friday. “It’s unfortunate that the union has to go to court to enforce an award that by law is ‘final and binding,’” said Jeter (r) at the time. The union also noted that Metro – despite claims of being in a fiscal bind, granted non-union employees a 3 percent raise in 2009, and awarded then-General Manager John Catoe a new $315,000 contract including a $60,000 housing bonus, $6,000 per year in health expenses not covered by the WMATA health plan and a $27,000 per year lifetime annuity. “It is unconscionable that the management would spend more money pursuing frivolous claims,” said Jeter at the time. Metro has agreed not to appeal the court’s decision, and last Friday, a jubilant Jeter said that “This experience teaches us all that when we are united we win!”
- Matthew Fournier; photo: Jeter at Local 689's March 11 demonstration at Metro headquarters; photo by Chris Garlock