Transit Workers Demand Safety

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

“Safety and transit go hand in hand, that’s what we demand!” chanted Metro workers at a noontime rally last Thursday in front of Metro headquarters in downtown Washington. Citing increased incidents of violence on buses and in the subway, Metro workers and their union, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, are demanding increased security measures to protect workers and riders. The local plans to increase pressure on the WMATA Board of Directors to provide video security cameras on buses, an increased Transit Police presence and increased funding for transit security and safety.