Endorsed by All AFSCME Local Presidents & Other City Unions

Rally to Stop Wage Freeze

And Reduce Health Insurance Deductions!

Thursday May 9, 4 PM

Coleman A. Young Municipal Center--Woodward Entrance...

 

 

...Then Speak at the City Council Public Hearing May 9, 5 PM

Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 13th Floor

Subject: The Mayor’s “No Raise” Budget

 Tell Them “Not Here, Not Now!”

 

 

 

            The Mayor wants us to accept a 2 year wage freeze while our hospitalization deductions are skyrocketing, and utilities, gas, food, rent and taxes are going up. A so-called wage freeze would really be a wage cut! Join AFSCME Council 25 and the other City worker unions in a united rally to demand fair contracts! Tell Kilpatrick zero percent won't pay the rent!

 

            AFSCME Council 25 officials and the leaders of other City unions are uniting to organize a joint demonstration of all city workers against the Mayor's outrageous demands. Immediately after the demonstration the City Council will hold a public hearing on the Mayor's "No Raise" Proposed Budget. It is imperative that City workers from all unions are there in large numbers, prepared to demonstrate and demand fair treatment.

 

            We're being played. Contract negotiations have dragged out over a year now. City workers' contracts have been extended week-by-week since July 2001. Our last little 3% pay raise occurred in July 2000.

 

            Meanwhile privatization and contracting-out is running rampart. City services are being given away to corporations whose purpose is profit, not service. And city residents are being ripped off because the companies are charging more for the same work City workers do for less. And with each service contracted-out or privatized, more political influence is bought by the suburban companies, and less control is left in hands of our city's residents.

 

            Mayor Kilpatrick says there is no money, but what he really means is that the contractors, consultants and corporations have been given first place in the money line. The casinos brought in a billion dollars last year, and the city got $100 million of it. That's a 33% increase from the year before. There's money, but City workers have not organized and fought for our share until now.

 

            We see where "waiting to see what Kilpatrick is going to do" got us. It's time to abandon the passive politics of the past. Clearly what we were doing isn't working for us. It's time to unite and fight! Union officials must cast off their old habit of telling us what we can't do, and help organize the actions we must take in order to defend our jobs, our public services, and our wages! Union members must use this opportunity to express how we feel, and demand what we deserve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Management owes us. They owe us a decent raise (Building Attendants start out at $7.53/hour!) and higher shift premiums (they haven't increased in nearly 20 years!). They owe us Cost-of-Living-Allowances (which they stole from us in 1980). They owe us relief from soaring healthcare deductions (which are increasing from 25-100% per year!). They owe us job security, real training and common respect (rather than constant Poor Work Performance write-ups to cover their own rear ends). They owe us straight shifts at the Sewage Plant (rather than double-crossing workers who tried to do shift exchanges). And they owe us respect (rather than treating us like criminals, children or dogs).

 

            Send a message to Kilpatrick about his unjust wage freeze-Not Here! Not Now!