Metro News Release

For immediate release: January 3, 2007

Metro employee barred from operating a train or bus

The operator of the Metrorail train that struck and killed two Metro employees on November 30, 2006, near the Eisenhower Metrorail station has been permanently barred from operating a train or bus after Metro’s preliminary investigation concluded that the operator did not exercise appropriate emergency braking procedures at the time of the incident.

In order to protect the safety interests of Metro employees and customers, Metro management informed the employee and Local 689 Amalgamated Transit Union that the individual was disqualified from operating a train or bus.

Currently, the employee is on workers’ compensation. This action will be effective upon her return from leave.

Metro’s labor contract with Local 689 states that management has “20 office working days” from the date of an incident to give notice to an employee if disciplinary action will be taken against him/her. The fatal accident of November 30, 2006, required notice of disciplinary action to be issued by December 29, 2006, which it was. Metro managers preferred to wait for additional information and the final report of the NTSB before ultimately deciding on discipline. However, during a number of discussions over the last week of 2006 with both the outgoing and incoming Local 689 presidents, they made it clear that the union would not waive the 20-day rule in this instance. Therefore, Metro management made its decision to disqualify the individual from operating a train or bus based upon the information it had gathered during the preliminary stages of the investigation.

News release issued at 12:00 am, January 3, 2007.