Union to Metro riders: Respect the operators

WASHINGTON -- Metro train and bus operators deserve some respect. That's the word from the head of the union that represents those workers.

Since a Metrorail operator was caught on video texting on the job, bus and train operators have had a virtual bullseye on them as the public tries to sniff out bad operator behavior. Another train operator was caught on video recently, apparently sleeping while his train rolled down the tracks. Pictures of bus drivers who seem to be reading books while behind the wheel also have surfaced.

Jackie Jeter, president of Amalgamated Transit Union local 689, doesn't want the situation to get out of hand.

"Being watched 24/7 is a problem. I don't think any of us would like that. And I ask (riders) to respect the operators and the jobs that they do."

So should Metro riders keep a close eye on the people who are supposed to make sure they get where they need to go safely?

"I ask them to be just as vigilant," says Jeter. "But I also ask them to be just as supportive of the operators when they do something good, as well as when they do something bad. The majority -- most operators -- do their job and they do what they are supposed to do."

During a meeting Tuesday, Metro General Manager John Catoe said many operators are angry at their co-workers who have acted inappropriately while at the controls. He said they have cast the rest in a negative light.

Meanwhile, the frustration may be spilling over. On the social microblogging site Twitter, a Red Line rider recently wrote that a train operator had covered the windows to his cab with newspaper, so he couldn't be seen.

Metro could not confirm that action, but tells WTOP it is something that should never happen.

(Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)