Attend Special City Council Public Hearing

Let Them Hear the Truth

Wednesday March 20th, 5 PM

At the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Hall,

1358 Porter (3 blocks West of Lafayette, 2 blocks of Trumbull )

Free Parking

 

 

 

            At 5 PM on Wednesday March 20, the City Council is holding a Public Hearing on the Water & Sewerage Department. People will be given two minutes to speak their minds. All city workers should come and tell the City Council that it is management's failure that is threatening city services with takeovers and privatization.

 

            This is the opportunity for average city workers to tell the truth about:

 

•  How contractors are paid outrageous sums to do shoddy work which city workers then have to do over.

 

•  How management fails to fill the 900 vacant positions so that we are unable to provide the quality services the community deserves.

 

•  How management fails to provide us with enough modern equipment to do the job, but spares no expense for contractors.

 

• "How management short-staffs clerical jobs and fails to provide a modern payroll system, leading to frustrated clericals and unpaid out-of-class, late promotions, vacation time, sick leave, and longevity payments.

 

            This hearing was arranged at the urging of AFSCME Local 207, which represents about 1250 Water Department workers. Everyone should attend, especially Water Department employees. We must use this hearing to show that management's failure to adequately hire, train, promote and equip workers, and management's constant drive to privatize and contract out is aiding efforts for a state takeover. Takeover and privatization would eventually lead to reduced, higher-priced services to Detroit's already under-served neighborhoods. The city must fill all budgeted positions with well-paid, well-treated and well-equipped city workers to improve city services.

 

            City management can not stop the privatization train. Some managers and supervisors either work for the privatizing companies (Jowa Security for example), or retire only to come back as consultants making twice what they were getting as city employees. They are unlikely to fight against privatization. Even when members of management want to keep public services under city control, their policies are incapable of doing so. When Federal Judge Feikens put the Sewage Plant under a Federal Consent Decree, and gave the mayor direct control of the plant, he issued a report which clearly put the blame on mis-management for polluting the river. The report said that the plant was understaffed, and that management was wasting money on contracting out work city workers could do cheaper. So far management's response has been to greatly increase spending on outside contractors, including on consultants whose task is to further reduce city staffing levels at the Sewage Plant and elsewhere.

 

            The news media has been accelerating its campaign for state takeovers and privatization of Detroit public services. They know that the majority of Detroit residents are opposed to these racist, anti-union takeovers. The first takeover target was the Detroit public schools, and that project is already exposed for what it truly is: a way to further reduce funds for public education, starting with majority black districts. But a new civil rights movement is fighting against this plan. It has united school workers, students, parents, community members and city workers. It was this alliance which led to the picketed and shut down last month's school board meeting, and is determined to fight to improve our children's education. Local 207 urges all city workers to join the picket at the next school board meeting, Thursday March 28, at 3:30 PM, M.L. King High School, 3200 E. Lafayette.

 

            The corporations think that out-state residents are more easily confused on this issue, so they see "regionalization" or state takeovers as a necessary step toward eventual privatization. Privatization is just a way for corporations to get their hands on taxes and revenues, which fund public services.

 

            The battle against the appointed school board provides city workers with the chance build the fighting alliance which can turn the tide against takeovers and privatization, including those threatening Public Housing, Public Lighting, Water & Sewerage and DDOT. This struggle shows that the more actively and militantly we unite and fight, the better we defend Detroit against racist corporate raiders. This is not just a fight for our jobs. Public workers are the front line in the battle against more corporate control of our lives. Already big business completely dominates political life, and political discourse. Now they want to takeover all public services as well. Every private contract creates another corrupt link between public officials and the contracting corporations.