March 2021. It has been almost a year since the pandemic began to change everything about the way we live. Think of where you were then and what we have had to go through in the last twelve months. Whether it was the global pandemic that took the lives of hundreds of transit workers, or the protests against racial inequality, the election that finally removed Trump from office, or the insurrection on Capitol Hill that tried to overturn that election. It has been a challenging time for all of us. Some more than others. While many in this region worked from home, thousands of our members were out there on the frontlines.

The last time I wrote to you WMATA was just moments away from historic service cuts and layoffs. We were saved at the last minute by emergency federal transit funding in December. Unfortunately the two rounds of emergency funding didn't fully end the possibility of service cuts or layoffs, but just delayed them.

As I write this, I am watching February's WMATA's Board of Directors meeting. They're discussing a new budget for Fiscal Year 2022 that delays layoffs through the end of calendar year 2021. But if they don't receive additional federal assistance, WMATA is still predicting layoffs on January 1st, 2022. It was the work of our brothers and sisters in the labor movement that helped swing key states and ultimately the election for Joe Biden. We're counting on him to help us when we need him most. We're working hard to ensure that Congress passes President Biden's recovery package that includes $30 billion of additional support for transit systems like WMATA. We feel optimistic that it will pass, but we still encourage members to prepare themselves financially for all possibilities.

n other fronts, ATU has weighed in on the Virginia 2021 Democratic Primaries. ATU met with and endorsed Jennifer Carroll Foy for Governor and Elizabeth Guzman for Lieutenant Governor. Both have been strong allies of labor and will help make sure that the needs of working people are prioritized in the commonwealth. We won't just sit back and make our endorsement. We're going to mobilize members to knock on doors, call voters, and register our members and their families to vote. This opportunity is too important to miss. If you want to get involved, keep an eye out for our email newsletter and text messages from the union on how to help.

Local 689 isn't just Metro workers. We're one of the largest transit union locals in the country. We've been hard at work fighting for good contracts at many of our properties across this region, including:

• First Transit workers at Capitol Heights who wrapped up negotiations in August.

• National Express workers at the Temple Hills & Lorton whose negotiations are ongoing.

• DC Streetcar workers who wrapped up in August.

• MV Transportation workers at FASTRAN whose negotiations will begin soon.

This union is always busy. Everyday we're out there fighting for our members. Whether its at the negotiating table, in arbitrations, at the union hall, or on the picket line. We'll be there, ready for whatever comes our way. Read this issue to make sure you're informed about what's going on and ready to join us in the fight.

In Solidarity,

Raymond Jackson