WASHINGTON 鈥� Plans to raise Metro fares and cut service would send the system into a 鈥渄eath spiral,鈥� the leader of Metro鈥檚 largest union said Monday.
鈥淭his is a death spiral,鈥� said Jackie Jeter, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 agree with it. We think that it鈥檚 harming the public. It鈥檚 causing undue hardship,鈥�
Metro leaders painted the budget proposal as and sharply dropping ridership.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e trying to get people back, you鈥檙e not going to do more to take them away, and that鈥檚 exactly what鈥檚 happening,鈥� Jeter said as she stood outside the Southern Avenue Metro Station, near an animatronic grim reaper Halloween decoration and a union member who dressed the part as well.
鈥淭he general manager is acting like the grim reaper,鈥� Jeter said. 鈥淵ou cannot cut your way to a good budget. It should not be on the backs of the workers nor should it be on the backs of the riders.鈥�
General Manager Paul Wiedefeld has said that Metro is not in a death spiral, but said the transit agency needed to address the decline of nearly 100,000 riders each weekday compared to 2009.
鈥淚 think just readjusting to that reality makes sense,鈥� Wiedefeld said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 a long-term trend.鈥�
He said projections called for 25 percent more growth in the region.
鈥淲e are a central part of that growth, and we will continue to be,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut the way that we do that is to make sure that service is reliable.鈥�
He said cutting service during rush hour 鈥� offering trains every eight minutes instead of every six minutes at five Metrorail end points 鈥� could help Metro actually run on schedule, which, in turn, could bring some riders back.
鈥淚 think what we have not being doing is performing what we committed to in some of those service levels, so I want to reset that so that we do deliver what we put out there,鈥� he said.
The plan that Wiedefeld will present to the Metro Board of Directors on Thursday also .
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 going to take a number of parts of the community and the agency to solve some of these issues,鈥� Wiedefeld said.
Metro鈥檚 board will ultimately decide in March what service cuts, fare hikes and increased contributions from local jurisdictions to implement when this budget kicks in July 1.
鈥淐osts do go up, so I think most people do understand that 鈥� they may not like it, but they understand that,鈥� Wiedefeld said.
The last time Metro raised fares was in 2014.
鈥淭here has to be another way,鈥� Jeter said.
She did not give any specific proposals, but said Metro management should have more discussions with workers to get their input.
Metro and the ATU Local are currently negotiating a new contract, after the previous deal expired earlier this year.
鈥淎nything you can think of as a benefit as a worker, they鈥檙e trying to cut it,鈥� she said.
Jeter said that includes health insurance, pensions and wages.
鈥淎ll they want to do is cut, cut, cut. Not only do they want to cut the routes for the public, but they want to cut our jobs, too,鈥� Jeter said.
With fewer trains and buses running, Metro would need fewer workers. Earlier this year, Wiedefeld had announced cutting 500 positions. The budget latest proposal calls for an additional 500 more, .
Jeter said 45 of the 100 layoffs Metro were people represented by her union.
