Political Organizing

It helps for workers to have allies in elected office. We make sure they get there.

Local 689 stays active in politics, working to elect pro-worker, pro-union, pro-public transit candidates every election. We do this by:

  • Knocking on doors to encourage union members to vote.

  • Visiting with elected officials to explain our positions and issues.

  • Talking to our members at worksites, passing out flyers, and mailing our members to ensure that they know about upcoming elections and candidate’s positions on our issues.

  • Organizing and attending rallies, events, and actions.

  • Working with coalitions to grow public transit.

Current Election Endorsements

Below are all of ATU Local 689’s endorsements. These were the result of an in-house endorsement process run by Local 689.

2024 Endorsements

Maryland

U.S. Senate Democratic Primary - Angela Alsobrooks

6th Congressional District Democratic Primary - Joe Vogel

Virginia

7th Congressional District Democratic Primary - Elizabeth Guzman

10th Congressional District Democratic Primary - Dan Helmer

D.C. Council

D.C. Council Ward 4 - Janeese Lewis George

D.C. Council Ward 1, Against Recall - Brianne Nadeau

D.C. Council Ward 6, Against Recall - Charles Allen

Past Election Endorsements

2023 Virginia Elections

2022 Primary Election

2021 General Election

2021 Primary Election

2020 General Election

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Fix It. Fund It. Make It Fair.

Our Report to Repair WMATA and Expand Public Transit

This is clearly a pivotal moment for WMATA and the millions of people who rely on it annually. We need to make the system safer, and this process cannot be done without the full participation of the men and women on the frontlines every day. The agency’s leadership tell riders it is time for a “reality check,” citing the need for all of us to dig deeper into our pockets for the privilege of waiting longer for the train, or walking even further to find a bus stop where we can get a ride to work. Pay more, get less, they say. This is a false choice. The key to restoring WMATA is to bring back our customers, and that can only happen if they are provided with safe, affordable, reliable, and convenient transit service. Driving our remaining riders away is a ridiculous plan that is sure to bury the system.

Instead, we need to immediately provide incentives for people to come back to Metro – by putting money in their pocket rather than taking it out. Slashing fares instead of service will quickly result in a reversal of fortune for the agency, and we will soon be talking about the need to add more trains and buses in order to accommodate our new riders. This would indeed be a wonderful problem to have. Metro has tools at its disposal – both financial and within its own workforce – to turn this situation around. It’s time for the public to demand that the agency does everything it can to use its resources wisely​

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Fix it.

1) Establish WMATA Assessment Districts (WADs) to generate predicable transit funding in a far more equitable manner.
2) Dedicate nominal rental car taxes from current Metrorail stop Reagan National Airport and future Metrorail stop Dulles Airport for WMATA operations.
3) Amend federal law to allow larger transit systems, including WMATA, to use their FTA funds for operations in crisis situations.
4) Use the maximum amount of FTA funds for paratransit operating assistance under new federal law.
5) Flex FTA funds for preventive maintenance costs to fullest extent possible.
6) Pass legislation (MD and VA) recently adopted in D.C. requiring employers with 20 or more employees to offer pre-tax or subsidized commuter benefits for use on WMATA.

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Fund it.

1) Establish labor-management partnerships on all safety matters.
2) Adopt safety recommendations of the TRACS Committee.
3) Bring MetroAccess operations in house and deal with scheduling, qualifications, training, equipment, deadheading, etc.

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Make it fair.

1) Reject service cuts and fare increases.
2) Implement modified flat fare system.
3) Allow free transfers from local bus-to-rail, rail-to local bus or local bus-to-local bus within two hours of the time you paid your fare.
4) Implement a system that takes into account passengers’ ability to pay, rather than simply on their ages.
5) Expand hours of operation.