Union pushes Metro drivers to follow every rule, slowing system
By: Kytja Weir
Examiner Staff Writer
October 14, 2009
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| Metrobus drivers are feeling pressure to meet schedules but have complained they face stiff penalties if caught cutting corners. (Examiner file) |
Metro's largest union urged its members to follow the letter of the law Tuesday, which translated to slower commutes for some bus riders.
"Now is the time for us to protect ourselves and our jobs! Perform all duties strictly by the [standard operating procedures]," the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 Web site said Tuesday. "Don't give Metro any reason to write us up, suspend us, or fire us anymore!"
The move comes in reaction to a spate of trouble for the agency's workers, especially Metrobus drivers. Several drivers have been fired in recent months for problems ranging from hitting a jogger to kidnapping a passenger, driving without a license to punching an off-duty cop dressed as McGruff the Crime Dog. Others have been disciplined for reading and texting while driving.
Then last week, a 47-year-old woman died after she was hit by a bus crossing a street in Northeast D.C. That driver remains on paid leave Tuesday while Metro investigates, agency officials said.
Roland Jeter, the union's first vice president, told The Examiner the union was "re-emphasizing" the existing policies Tuesday. Yet he said it should not translate to any delays for riders. "They shouldn't notice any change," he said.
But the transit agency acknowledged the bus system faced slower conditions during the evening commute on some lines, including some of the core routes along 16th Street, 14th Street, Georgia Avenue and Bladensburg Road, as drivers conducted every pretrip inspection and followed exact speed limits.
But the transit agency acknowledged the bus system faced slower conditions during the evening commute on some lines, including some of the core routes along 16th Street, 14th Street, Georgia Avenue and Bladensburg Road, as drivers conducted every pretrip inspection and followed exact speed limits.
The blog Unsuck DC Metro reported that one driver had told passengers to expect 30-minute delays as drivers followed every rule in the book.
Jeter denied that the push was intended as a protest or passive-aggressive anti-management technique. "We wouldn't advocate a work slowdown," he said.
He said the union met last week and discussed the renewed need for following the existing policies. Then, he said, the agency sent out a reminder to follow the rules.
Drivers have been feeling pressure to meet schedules, but they have complained they face stiff penalties anytime they are caught cutting corners. Union officials have said morale is plummeting.
But the move also put the agency in a tough spot in which they could not fault the drivers.
"We expect our bus operators to operate in a safe manner each day, and to follow the standard operating procedures," Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said.
