6 | EXPRESS | 04.21.2017 | WEEKEND
local Union dissent highlights challenges Wiedefeld’s turnaround plan faces TRANSPORTATION General Manager Paul Wiedefeld’s ambitious rescue plan for Metro drew a generally positive response Thursday, but a bitter dissent from the agency’s largest union was a sign of the formidable obstacles he faces. Wiedefeld’s recommendations are “bad for riders, bad for workers and bad for the region,” ATU Local 689 said in a statement. The union, which represents about 9,200 Metro workers, said Wiedefeld’s plans to outsource services and provide less-generous pensions to future hires aim “to balance the agency’s budget on the back of [Metro’s]
hard-working employees.” Overall, however, elected officials, transit advocates and business groups praised Wiedefeld for offering what many called a “reasonable” plan that deals head-on with the tough challenges facing the transit agency. Although many disagreed with individual details, and the region’s top Republican officials were distinctly skeptical, most welcomed Wiedefeld’s call for new taxes or other dedicated funding sources to channel an additional $500 million a year to Metro. The money would go to buy new railcars, buses and other equipment, and to perform the maintenance necessary to restore service quality. “This proposal appears to be a realistic and responsible contribution to the regional discussion
MARVIN JOSEPH (THE WASHINGTON POST)
Metro seeks $500M more yearly
GM Paul Wiedefeld drew sharp criticism from Metro’s largest union for his ambitious budget plan.
about how best to fix Metro,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said. Wiedefeld’s plan “is the best we’ve seen to date,” said Stewart Schwartz, executive director of the pro-transit Coalition for Smarter Growth. “His statement
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is bluntly honest about the situation, and we generally endorse his proposals.” Despite the applause, no one underestimated the political difficulty of extracting union concessions and winning support for higher taxes from multiple jurisdictions in D.C., Virginia and Maryland. Many politicians and analysts said it will be necessary to go further, by restructuring the Metro board of directors and adopting other reforms. “I think you need some governance changes to show that the people who will be spending the money will be doing a good job,” said Maryland Del. Marc Korman, D-Montgomery, co-chairman of a group of Annapolis legislators focusing on Metro issues. ROBERT
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