New Metro contract aims to ease employee exhaustion
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and around 8,000 Metro workers have agreed to a new contract — and with recent reports of unsafe driving due to exhaustion, workers will see extended breaks between shifts.
Under the new agreement, Metro workers with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 will have to take at least 10 hours off between each shift. Previously a gap of only eight hours had been required for Metrobus and Metrorail operators.
Earlier this month the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission reported employee exhaustion was responsible for many close calls on the railways — from running red signals to improperly switching rails.
The safety watchdog also cited an incident from September 2023 when a train operator admitted drinking the night before coming into work on little sleep. The operator then failed to let passengers off the train and stopped in between stations.
Other incidents included an operator who worked 12 days straight across a range of different shifts.
Other measures in the new contract
In addition to extended rest time, Metro and the union have agreed to boost employee incentives.
“New employees will be able to earn one day of vacation in each quarter for perfect attendance and having no safety violations,” said Sherri Dickerson, WMATA’s chief people officer.
The new contract also restructures wage increases for Metro workers covered by the union over the next four years, including cost of living adjustments, which are tied to the consumer price index.
The previous contract had no cost of living adjustment cap, leading to huge increases in salary year to year, sometimes in the ballpark of 10% when combined with regularly scheduled annual raises.
This time around, the union agreed to no wage increases or cost-of-living adjustments in the first year of the contract.
“I appreciate specifically going for the no wage increase in year one. It was a pretty big sacrifice for not only our front line union employees, but it joins with our all of our nonrepresentative employees as well,” Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke told the Metro Board before its members approved the contract.
Years two and three will have a 3% increase in wages and year four will see a 3.5% increase. The cost of living adjustment will only come into play if it exceeds the general wage increase and will be capped at 5%.
“Obviously, negotiations are part of the part of our business. And I will say, even though sometimes we have disagreements, it was never disagreeable,” Clarke said.
The contract also eliminated a three-day waiting period that was needed for a Metro employee to use a sick day.
The new contract allows “employees to take a sick day on the first day that they’re out sick, instead of having to wait until after three days of being sick,” Dickerson explained.
ATU Local 689 President Raymond Jackson said in a statement, “We negotiated a fair and equitable deal with the Authority ensuring our members continue to receive fair compensation they’ve earned while also enforcing accountability throughout the system.”
The contract runs through June 2028.