Metro Union Could Slow Commutes On Bus & Train

WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- A long-simmering dispute between Metro and its union could lead to longer commutes for its customers.

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, which represents Metro workers, says it expects bus drivers to operate in strict adherence to the system's Standard Operating Procedures, a list of procedures that could slow commutes if followed strictly.

Those procedures include the speeds at which bus drivers can travel and requirements that dictate how they drive.

The union, which has taken no formal action to date, expects to see the strict adherence to.

"This is not something that the union is using to compact or disrupt the ridership or the productivity of the system.This is something we feel we have to do to safeguard the system and make sure that the riding public is safe, and that the members (of the union) who do the work are safe," said Anthony Garland, the union's Recording Secretary in an interview with 9News Now.

After recent fatal bus accidents, the agency that runs Metro, The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. WMATA has fired some bus drivers and disciplined other employees.

The union says it has repeatedly urged more and better training for it's members.

"We hope that WMATA will respond by taking the initiative to properly train the employees. We wish that WMATA eases up with disciplinary action taken against employees," Garland said.

The union action is not yet formal. Some bus drivers began the strict adherence policy during Tuesday's commutes. Garland says, after a union meeting later this week, he expects the measures to be taken system-wide which, he says, includes Metro trains.

Metro spokesman Steve Taubenkible said on Wednesday that we always encourage our operators to work by the rules and follow standard operating procedures.