SAVE OUR METRO & PROTECT TRANSIT WORKERS

Virginia, Maryland, & DC Legislators

Help Protect Our Metro And Transit Workers

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is an integral part of our region's economy, connecting millions of people across the DMV area and directly employing over 9,000 Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) workers. Extensive, reliable, and equitable public transit ensures that nurses can get to hospitals, teachers can get to classrooms, federal employees can go to agencies, and visitors from across the world can explore our nation's capital. In short, the metro system underpins the lives of nearly every person in the DMV area and is a beacon of pride for our community.

However, due to the lingering effects of COVID-19 and high inflation, ridership and revenue have not yet returned to their pre-pandemic levels, creating a $750 million gap. If lawmakers in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia fail to come up with the critical fund to bridge this shortfall, the effects on our communities will be devastating;

  • 108 of the 135 Metrobus routes would be eliminated or cut
  • Up to 10 metro stations would be closed
  • Metrorail would run less frequently
  • Fares would increase by 20%
  • Over 2,300 full-time jobs would be cut
Allowing any of these cutbacks to be enacted would have negative ripple effects for years to come. Cutting metro services will likely lead to fewer riders as people shift to more reliable transportation options, meaning less revenue from fares, and likely another round of budget cuts, creating a perilous death spiral.

To: Virginia, Maryland, & DC Legislators
From: [Your Name]

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is an integral part of our region's economy, connecting millions of people across the DMV area and directly employing over 9,000 Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) workers. Extensive, reliable, and equitable public transit ensures that nurses can get to hospitals, teachers can get to classrooms, federal employees can go to agencies, and visitors from across the world can explore our nation's capital. In short, the metro system underpins the lives of nearly every person in the DMV area and is a beacon of pride for our community.

However, due to the lingering effects of COVID-19 and high inflation, ridership and revenue have not yet returned to their pre-pandemic levels, creating a $750 million gap. If lawmakers in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia fail to come up with the critical fund to bridge this shortfall, the effects on our communities will be devastating; 108 of the 135 Metrobus routes would be eliminated or cut, up to 10 metro stations would be closed, Metrorail would run less frequently, fares would increase by 20%, and over 2,300 full-time jobs would be cut. Allowing any of these cutbacks to be enacted would have negative ripple effects for years to come.

How do we solve the crisis? The District of Columbia needs to chip in $275 million, Maryland $209 million, and Virginia $180 million; a more than reasonable amount to save our metro system. This can be done by creating a dedicated funding source that will keep our metro fully financed into the foreseeable future. This "WMATA trust fund" can be capitalized by taxing wealthy businesses that benefit from the metro system's easy lines of transportation offered to their workforce.

Allowing Metro to fail or even be needlessly cut would be disastrous. It is especially unfair to the members of Local 689 who unquestionably held the system afloat through the worst pandemic in a hundred years and increases in antisocial behavior and violence on transit unflinchingly. This would be cruel compensation for the region’s pandemic heroes.