Our Real Work Lies Ahead

To the Sisters and Brothers of ATU Local 689,

I wanted to thank the members for putting their faith in me once again to serve as President and Business Agent. I ran with other members on a platform of fighting for those that joined WMATA after 2010, improving dental insurance and reversing the givebacks of the 2016 contract, negotiating a family-sustaining living wage for all MetroAccess workers, equal pay for all fixed route bus operators in this region, shortening progression schedules for maintenance and construction, adequate staffing in all departments, better sick leave that can be used to care for sick spouses or children, unifying the transit workers of the public and private sector to fight against their employers. We also committed to using this union's political power to fight for affordable housing, healthcare as a human right, fair treatment of immigrant workers, and the end of racist police actions.

The members have spoken. They demanded action. They committed this union to another three years of working to build a strong, well-run organization capable of channeling the power of all transit workers in this region. That's not to say the path ahead will be easy. In 2022 alone, we will have contract campaigns to run at DC Circulator, Battle's Transportation, MV Call Center, MV Fastran, and Transdev Hubbard Road. We know what we're up against! But we're confident our membership has the power to make this our reality. I hope to speak with all of you soon about my plans for the next term. We cannot afford to sit back and wait. We hope to improve communications with the membership, strengthen our shop stewards and representation, provide regular trainings and social events, while using our shared resources as efficiently as possible. We're very proud of what we have planned and I look forward to spending more time in the field, speaking with you over the coming months. The future of Local 689 is strong.

In Solidarity,

Raymond N. Jackson

President and Business Agent