DC ParaTransit Info has been informed that one of the drivers who spoke up at the Forum held Saturday March 18th has effectively been made functionally unemployed. The driver, an employee of Challenger, is reported to have not been assigned any manifests since the meeting, in retaliation for having done so.
When we toured the MetroAccess call center in February, we mentioned to MV executives that one of the obstacles they faced was the potential fears of employees to speak out, given that this is Washington DC where such things usually end up being detrimental to someone’s career.
Although this situation is reported to have occurred at Challenger, one of the MetroAccess subcontractors, as opposed to within MV’s own organization, it serves to highlight why communication within MV itself of issues may not be felt by the employees to be possible. MV needs to make strong overtures to their employees and categorically state that retaliation for employees raising issues is not going to happen.
We also ask MV to clarify the terms and conditions that they hold their subcontractors to with regards to employee relations and work conditions, and would hope that MV will express to Challenger (and other subcontractors) that MV does not condone any form of retaliation against employees.
DC ParaTransit Info would like very much to talk more with the driver concerned, as well as any other drivers who wish to speak out. As always, DC ParaTransit offers drivers and employees an anonymous avenue to speak out, to avoid retaliation such as this, if they wish to use it. Employees are the greatest resource MetroAccess has to assist it in resolving the current problems, by identifying them and suggesting solutions in the black-box environment that is the inner workings of the system, they should not be penalized for raising those issues, internally or externally.
Driver working conditions is an issue that has been paid little attention to in recent months, but reports that we have received give us great concerns as to the way drivers themselves are being treated working for MetroAccess. Issues ranging from driver payroll methods, as well as working hours and a schizophrenic categorization of drivers are coming to light that paint a dismal picture of the working conditions drivers are being held to.
DC ParaTransit Info will be raising some of these issues in coming days, as well as monitoring this particular situation for further details.
Whilst reports of the treatment of MV-employed drivers themselves tend towards being positive, including MV having an open-door policy in place, we believe that MV has a responsibility to ensure that it does not sub-contract to companies that have less than reasonable employment conditions, or at least holds them to a minimum standard that is in accordance with their own standards and practices. Whilst such companies may be sub-contractors, they are representatives of MetroAccess.
