WIN Annual Reports July 2017 Midyear Report

Photo: Flynn 'Tiny' Burke ATU Local 1764 Circulator worker. DC Paid Sick Leave Act. First Transit even forced workers to violate District safety standards by taking out buses that did not pass pre-trip safety inspections. Metro IAF Organizer Amy Vruno and key WIN leaders entered into an alliance with ATU Local 1764 Circulator workers to figure out a strategy to get the DC Mayor and Council to take some responsibility for privatized workers for whom the DC Government was paying. WIN leaders joined with union workers in multiple meetings with Councilmembers and Mayor Bowser to press For action. The campaign led to a new 3-year contract increasing maximum wages from $23 to $31 per hour and tripling First Transit's contributions to employee 401(k) plans. The contract also included language that will ensure drivers don’t have to operate buses that do not meet safety standards. KEEPING WMATA PUBLIC Photo: Rev. Mike Wilker speaking at the July 2017 WMATA action. 2017 MIDYEAR REPORT WIN is partnering with sister-IAF affiliates in Virginia and Maryland, and the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689 to protect the public interest in Washington area’s public transit system. WMATA will need a significant funding increase and a dedicated funding source it can rely on in order to ensure track repairs are completed, worker pay and benefits are sustained, and service in low income communities is not decreased. In exchange for additional public financing, the position of WIN and its allies is that WMATA must eliminate hiring barriers and increase the employment of returning citizens, youth, and residents In high unemployment areas in the District. In July of 2016 ATU Local 689 and Metro IAF held a 600-person action with WMATA Board Chair Jack Evans launching our position. In the coming year Metro IAF and the ATU will be a driving force pressing for smart public infrastructure investment tied to living wage jobs. 5

WIN Annual Reports July 2017 Midyear Report | Page 5