WASHINGTON— At the Lutheran Church of the Reformation on Capitol Hill on Saturday, every pew was filled with members of the Amalgamated Transit Union local 689 and their supporters. It was standing room only as Metro workers gathered for a mid-day rally to make their voices heard.
“They talk about us in a bad light, and everyone I know in the track department feels that it’s not fair to us,” said Marlo Franklin, a Metro worker and ATU member. “We would like for the politicians and WMATA to appreciate what we’re doing.”
Metro riders complain about delays and lackluster service, while federal investigators have criticized Metro for safety lapses.
But Metro workers say they are being unfairly singled out for the problems at the transit agency.
“I tell my supervisors the train is unsafe but the supervisors try to force you to take the train out,” said Dion Baker, a train operator and member of ATU.
The unionized Metro workers, who included railcar mechanics, bus operators and car cleaners, wore bright red T-shirts emblazoned with the seal of their local featuring D.C. landmarks plus a Metrobus and train.
The union workers demanded respect and dedicated funding for the transit agency. They also said that Metro needs to hear their recommendations for boosting safety, that they wanted a halt to efforts aimed at privatizing some services and that they wanted promises of protection for their pensions.
Modifying a familiar refrain heard these days, ATU local president Jackie Jeter drew cheers when she proclaimed, “Transit lives matter, too.”
