City workers denounce Bing cuts
By Diane Bukowski
Michigan Citizen
DETROIT — “Detroit won’t go to the back of the bus,” chanted a hundred city workers outside the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center July 22. They were protesting Mayor Dave Bing’s budget-cutting lay-offs, ten percent wage cuts, and the elimination of many departments, in the face of a $300 million deficit this year.
According to John Riehl, President of Local 207 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Bing also wants to eliminate longevity payments, wages for work over eight hours a day, and for new employees, less sick and vacation time and second-class health benefits.
“Detroit needs jobs and improved services, not more layoffs and wage and benefit cuts,” said Riehl. “The big banks that we bailed out are now swimming in profits and bonuses. Don’t tell us there’s no money for Detroit. We must rebuild our city and our public education system, not dismantle them! Bing should demand that Detroit get the federal recovery money that we deserve! No more cutbacks!”
Bing is posing the threat of bankruptcy or a state takeover if the cuts are not made.
Bing’s transition team is co-chaired by Denise Illitch, formerly president of Illitch Holdings, Freman Hendrix, Deputy Mayor under Dennis Archer and first CEO of the 1999 state takeover school board, and Joe Walsh, a retired Ford Motor company senior executive and current consultant with CMS Energy.
Bing has also announced the appointment of Mark Jones, most recently the regional manager of corporate and government affairs at DTE, to head his workforce development program to obtain jobs for Detroiters. Jones replaces Sharon McPhail, who had brought much of the department back in house, cancelling costly contracts with private and out-of-town groups.
His relationship with utility companies is rounded out by his experience on U.S. District Court Judge John Feikens’ Business Leadership Group, which has proposed that Detroit voluntarily cede control of at least part of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department.
Bing’s campaign war chest of over $340,000 includes $3,400 in contributions from Ford executive William Ford Jr., Peter Karmanos Jr., the CEO of Compuware, and DTE CEO Anthony Earley. He also received PAC contributions from Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, Blue Cross-Blue Shield, the Detroit Regional Chamber, and the Detroit Police Officers Association.
“Our unions must unite with residents of the poorest city in the country, who are suffering from mass unemployment, city and social service cutbacks, foreclosures and utility shut-offs to bring an end to this ongoing big business war against us,” said Riehl.