Live chat: ATU’s Craig Simpson, Wednesday at 1 pm

Labor relations at Metro is one of the more hotly debated topics on Greater Greater Washington. Do Metro’s drivers, mechanics and others get a fair living wage for a tough job, or a cushy sweetheart deal? Is the union protecting workers from unfair treatment, or making it harder for Metro to weed out problems? Are labor costs one of the problems driving budget woes, or have workers’ concessions just softened a larger blow from other spiraling costs?

ATU Local 689 is the union that represents Metro’s rail and bus operators and mechanics. Craig Simpson, the Legislative Representative, works with local governments and advocacy groups to push for better transit and the needs of those who make that transit operate. He’s agreed to be our guest this week for a live chat on Wednesday, August 12th, at 1:00 pm.

Post your questions in the comments and we’ll queue them up for Mr. Simpson. He’s not part of the team involved in binding arbitration with Metro over the current contract, so he won’t be able to tell us any details about current negotiations, but feel free to ask him about compensation in general, working conditions at Metro, safety practices, Congressional and local support for Metro, the appropriate role of public employee unions in transit, and more.

As with any controversial subject, we’re most likely to pick questions that attempt to genuinely collect information and broaden all of our understanding, rather than attack or try to corner someone into one position or another. Labor relations is a topic where heated opinions outnumber facts. I, for one, would like to understand this in much more depth.