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Vol. 79/No. 13      April 13, 2015

 
(front page)
DC transit workers speak out
against bosses’ safety violations
 
BY ANNE REVERE  
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority workers testified at an often heated hearing organized by Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 here March 25. Workers charged the transit agency with cutting corners on safety to save money and ignoring safety warnings from workers.

Jackie Jeter, Local 689 president, and Jack Requa, Interim General Manager of the Transit Authority, moderated the hearing. Speakers included transit union members; Herbert Harris, chair of the D.C. Legislative Board of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen; other area union officials; and riders of the Metro. Most of the 100 participants were transit union members.

The hearing was held 10 weeks after a Jan. 12 electrical fire that filled a tunnel with thick smoke and trapped a Metro train just outside the L’Enfant Plaza station. More than 80 people were injured and Carole Glover died after waiting more than an hour before being taken to the hospital.

Many workers told the hearing that when they report safety problems they face discipline. Deshon Morant, a track repair worker, said he was suspended for five days after he told a supervisor that a generator and tools were not secured on a flat car.

“On a regular basis, my radio can lose reception for up to 15 stations or more, leaving me with no communication with the control center,” said Niya Banks, a Metro train operator. “I never know what happens when I make a report about a hazard.”

“I reported that there was a radio communication problem five years ago — dead spots throughout the rail,” said another Metro employee, who did not give his name for fear of retaliation.

The radio system in the tunnel was not working Jan. 12. One result was that it took nearly 50 minutes for Metro to turn off the power on the third rail.

“Water leakage is a major problem,” testified Greg Bowen Jr., a high voltage mechanic and Local 689 shop steward. “When water comes in and makes contact with the third rail cables, it can pose extra high safety risks to all riders and workers.”

The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the fire. The board can make recommendations but has no power to enforce them.
 
 
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