(Forestville, Maryland) October 20th, 2021 – Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 would first like to state that this is an ongoing investigation. We encourage members to follow updates from our union and from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Please allow the fact finding process to unfold by providing any relevant information to the proper investigators. We hope for a thorough report by the NTSB that can help inform and guide WMATA, its workforce, and riders. 

Members should be aware that ATU Local 689 is fully involved in the investigation process and following this issue closely. Local 689’s Safety Officer for Maintenance and Construction is part of the NTSB’s collaborative group that includes the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Washington MetroRail Safety Commission (WMSC), Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Kawasaki, and ORX. As part of this group, we receive daily briefings from investigators, can share relevant information with authorities, and participate in the investigative process. We aren’t just in contact with the NTSB, but have an active role in ensuring that all future transit workers and riders are safe.  

It is worth noting that this derailment occurred at a challenging point in WMATA’s recovery. The same could be said for American public transit in general. There are many that have never supported public transit that look to moments like this as an opportunity to cynically attack public transit itself. We understand that we’ll need to redouble our efforts to get riders back into the system and we’re fully committed to that. We know that public transit is essential to the future of this region. Our riders have had their commutes completely re-arranged by this incident. Though it was massively disruptive, we stand by the call to pull those trains out of service, because it prioritized safety. 

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Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 is comprised of more than 13,000 members and retirees performing occupations within the many skilled transportation crafts for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), MetroAccess, DASH, and the DC Circulator and Streetcar among others. A member of the Amalgamated Transit Union (AFL-CIO/CLC), the largest labor organization representing transit workers in the United States and Canada, Local 689 was established on January 19, 1916. For more information please visit our website at atulocal689.org.