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Metro Union Leader Speaks Out About Collision

December 1, 2009
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By David Schultz

When two Metro trains collided early Sunday morning at a rail yard in Northern Virginia, it was the fourth time a Metro employee was hurt or killed on the job since the June Red Line crash that killed nine people.

That unnerves Jackie Jeter, the union president. She wants all Metro employees to undergo safety re-training.

"We've been asking for this since 2006," says Jeter.

It isn't clear whether human error caused Sunday's collision. But Jeter says Metro needs to take tangible steps towards improving safety.

"You have to start doing something," says Jeter. "You can't just give them a piece of paper and ask them to sign a safety pledge if they're continuing to do the same things wrong."

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

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