DC Council Increases Metro Worker Safety
Monday, April 7, 2008
(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
Metro transit workers won a year-long fight to increase worker
safety last Tuesday when the DC City Council passed a bill that “increased
penalties for assaulting a Metro transit operator by 50 percent,” reported
Taryn Luntz in last Wednesday’s
Examiner. “This will protect not only the bus operators, but also the
riding public, because when that happens to a bus operator, the public is in
danger also,” ATU Local
689 President Jackie Jeter told Luntz. Local 689 – which represents
Metro workers – was a strong supporter of the bill (Transit
Workers Battle Assaults 9/20/07 UC). The Maryland General Assembly voted
down similar legislation recently, but Jeter vowed to revive the measure in the
future, Luntz reported.