Metro has fired dozens due to drug, alcohol violations
By: KYTJA WEIR
March 17, 2009
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Metro fired 38 bus drivers in 2008 for drug and alcohol violations, according to the transit agency, and has already canned three more so far this year. Metro officials say that the number of bus drivers fired for substance abuse in 2008 represented a small fraction of the total bus drivers the system employs. It’s less than 2 percent. (EXAMINER FILE)
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Metro fired 38 bus drivers in 2008 for drug and alcohol violations, according to the transit agency, and has already canned three more so far this year. The firings occurred despite the fact that Metro gives all employees who have been there more than six months a chance to undergo substance abuse treatment for a first violation. Metro fires veteran drivers only after a second offense.
The transit agency has some 2,400 Metrobus drivers, who are among its most visible employees and crucial to the system’s customer service and safety. They interact with passengers and carry them through the region’s congested streets.
“We can’t condone a person using drugs of any kind who is operating equipment,” said Jackie Jeter, a former driver who now leads the system’s largest union, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, which represents bus and rail operators. “That is a no-no.”
Metrobus drivers have recently made local and national news. One driver was fired after he was accused of socking a police officer dressed as McGruff the Crime Dog. That driver was charged with PCP possession in 1994, but was not convicted.
Another driver was fatally shot by an off-duty D.C. police officer in what law enforcement authorities have said was a botched robbery attempt. That driver had a long criminal history that included convictions for cocaine distribution in the 1990s and a 10-year prison term for armed robbery.
Jeter and Metro officials cautioned that the number of bus drivers fired for substance abuse in 2008 represented a small fraction of the total bus drivers the system employs. It’s less than 2 percent.
“This is still a safe system,” Jeter told The Examiner. “One bad apple unfortunately taints us but it doesn’t prevent us from providing good, safe rides.” All drivers are tested for drugs and alcohol before hiring. They also are tested after every crash. They may additional face testing if the agency has suspicions of substance abuse — or as part of a random testing program.
On a first violation, drivers who have been employees for at least six months then get referred to a rehabilitation program, Jeter said.
If they drop out or fail another drug test, she said, they then lose their jobs.
“We try to help everyone we can,” Jeter said. “But we can’t save you from yourself.”
The union and transit agency negotiated the employee rehab plan back in the 1990s, Jeter said. Drivers also must notify the agency of the prescription drugs they take, as some medicine can affect their ability to operate buses.
She said substance abuse happens in many industries, but Metro serves an especially public role so it gets more attention when its employees run astray.
