Metro board members on Thursday called on the transit agency to curb workers’ hours to make sure they aren’t endangering their safety — or the system’s — as they log long hours to keep the system maintained and running. “It is imperative for us as a board and as management to set reasonable limits on hours of service,” said D.C. representative Tom Downs.
Meanwhile, an independent oversight group plans to investigate whether Metro workers are working too long. Tri-State Oversight Committee Chairman Matt Bassett told The Washington Examiner his group plans to spend the next three months examining schedules and interviewing workers to see how effective Metro is at keeping workers from being fatigued on the job.
| How much can they work |
| MetroAccess: Starting this weekend, nearly all MetroAccess drivers will work 13-hour shifts: 12 hours behind the wheel with a one-hour break. They will work a three-day shift, giving them four days off a week. Metro says it doesn’t don’t have rules limiting how much overtime drivers can work or stop them from having second jobs during days off. |
| Metrobus and rail operators: Under a union contract, operators are supposed to get eight hours of rest time every 24 hours. By 2014, Metro plans to meet a new industry goal to limit shifts for rail operators to no more than 14 hours with no less than 10 hours off between shifts. |
| Other Metro employees, including track workers: The general limit for track workers is 16 hours, Deputy General Manager Dave Kubicek has said. But there is no set rule, nor limit on how many consecutive days they can work. |
This week, The Examiner reported that 87 MetroAccess drivers were caught falling asleep while driving for the paratransit service in the past three years, even as the agency is poised to have them work longer, 13-hour shifts. The Examiner also reported in May that some construction inspectors and track supervisors logged more than 40 hours of overtime a week, working 16 hours every day for weeks on end.
Metro board member Mortimer Downey on Thursday called The Examiner’s report on overtime “an eye opener.”
Transit systems have no federal rules limiting hours the way that truck drivers, freight train workers or pilots do. Furthermore, Metro workers have an incentive to work more overtime, especially in their final years on the job as their take-home pay determines their retirement benefits, Downey said. And the agency has work that needs to be done in its $5 billion rebuilding push. Still, he said the agency needs to strike a balance so that safety isn’t compromised.
“You can’t risk the safety of people even when it’s to implement safety improvements,” the federal representative said in an interview.
Metro officials explained Thursday they screen for sleep apnea and other sleep issues before hiring workers. They use special cameras on buses and MetroAccess vehicles to catch sleeping drivers. And they send safety officers to work sites.
They plan to meet an American Public Transportation Association goal to require a 10-hour rest time between shifts for train operators by 2014. Metro currently requires an eight-hour rest time. The standards would limit operators to 14-hour shifts.
“That seems awfully long to me. Is that really the industry standard?” Maryland representative Mike Barnes asked. “And is that appropriate?”
He also asked if the agency should speed up the process to do something before 2014. “That’s two and a half years from now,” Barnes said. “Do we need more resources to be able to implement this more quickly?”
Downs, meanwhile, called on the agency to exceed the standards.
Deputy General Manager Dave Kubicek said the agency is trying to schedule workers doing massive track work projects in 12-hour blocks, though he said 16-hour shifts might be needed occasionally.
