Mayor Kilpatrick and City of Detroit unions are headed toward a showdown. The mayor is asking for outrageous concessions from us, and we haven’t seen any raises since July 2000. Negotiations will continue going nowhere until the members enter the struggle for our own interests and the survival of our very jobs. The members now have an opportunity and an obligation to enter that struggle. When the members come into the contract fight speaking with one loud, proud and angry voice, we will be on the road to victory!

Building City Union Unity

At the end of August, 42 City of Detroit unions and associations showed unprecedented unity by signing an open letter to Mayor Kilpatrick, saying that city unions won’t accept concessions with no raises and no retroactive pay for 2001 and 2002! Among those signing the open letter were the Teamsters (garbage truck and other drivers), the ATU (bus drivers) and Michigan Council 25 President Albert Garrett. Now is the time for the members to turn up the heat to force a better offer from the mayor.

Vote YES for Strike Authorization

On Tuesday, Sept 10, the City of Detroit AFSCME Presidents and Council 25 decided to ask for strike authorization. All AFSCME locals will be voting on this issue within the next week (check with your local unions for dates, times and locations). This strike authorization vote includes 5,000 AFSCME members in Water & Sewerage; vehicle mechanics for the buses, garbage trucks, and other vehicles; most clerical workers in all departments; Parks & Recreation, Health Department, etc. To keep building our unity, other city unions should vote for strike authorization too, as soon as possible. We need huge numbers to give a resounding YES vote.

Strike authorization does not mean an immediate strike. In fact, it’s no guarantee of a strike at all. It does, however, give AFSCME union negotiators the right to call a strike if they think it’s necessary. It’s a warning shot across the mayor’s bow, and it says that city workers will not be jerked around forever! Strike authorization also puts us further down the road to a real strike, which in reality, is the only way to win fair contracts.

Attend All-City-Union Meeting

Saturday, September 21, 9 AM

600 W. Lafayette at Third

On Saturday, September 21, at 9 AM, there will be an all-city-union meeting to discuss the contract struggle. This provides us the chance for rank & file unity across union affiliation lines, which is what we all need to win. Every city worker should come to this meeting and make it clear that we will not ratify another concession contract, and to urge all union officials to take a united fighting stance.

Picket the Mayor for Fair Contracts

Saturday, September 21, 12 Noon

Car Caravan Leaves 600 W. Lafayette

Toward the Mayor’s House,

4343 Leslie for 12:30 PM Picket

Later that same day, at 12:00 noon, we will car caravan to the mayor’s house at 4343 Leslie (5 blocks South of Davison, just west of Dexter) where we will picket at 12:30 PM. We need every city worker there. The mayor has said that it’s unfair to his family to picket his house. This is bullshit! The picket will only last a little while, but city workers’ families have been without a raise for over 2 years, and the concessions Kilpatrick is demanding will hurt our families for many years!

AFSCME Local 207 Members:

Special Call Meeting to Conduct A

Strike Authorization Vote

Thursday, September 19, 5 PM

600 W. Lafayette at Third, Room C – In Basement –Park Behind Building

A YES vote will give union negotiators the right to call a strike.

It is not a vote for an immediate strike.

The Mayor’s Outrageous Contract Proposals

· Little to no wages – with the only raises dependent on State Revenue Sharing Funds over which we have no real control: (2001- 0%, 2002- 0%, 2003-2%, 2004-2%, 2005-2%). NO RETRO PAY! No special wage adjustments, no increases in shift premiums.

· If the union doesn’t agree to management’s health insurance concessions, management threatens to impose their own revised health insurance plan.

· Evaluations given by supervisors would determine eligibility for promotions, transfers, step increases and overtime.

· The mayor wants a five-year contract to lock us into a contract negotiated during a period of economic and political insecurity which management is exploiting to screw us.

· All workers who now get a paid lunch would have to work an extra half-hour per day for the same pay.

· Workers at seven-day operations would have to call in sick two hours before their shift.

· No double time for 7^th day if you’ve taken a sick day that pay week.

· Elimination of shift and location preference.

· Working “out-of-class” would be denied to those management claims “can’t do the work.”

What We Are Fighting For

· Wages – AFSCME’s official demand is for a three-year contract with a 6% increase per year. In addition we need a Cost-of-Living-Allowance so inflation doesn’t eat up our raises. Some city workers still start out making less than $6-7 per hour! Clericals are grossly underpaid. Understaffing is the rule, full staffing the exception.

· Hospitalization Deduction Relief – Right now the 2% “maybe” increases (dependent on State Revenue Sharing) that the mayor is offering in the last three years of his five-year contract offer would be swallowed up by the huge increases we’ve been forced to pay in our health insurance deductions. We have to reduce deductions by negotiating an updated formula for deductions.

· Protection from Privatization and Contracting-Out of Our Jobs – The current language in Article 19 of the Master Agreement must be strengthened. While it provides some protection, it has loopholes large enough to drive a truck through. And that truck is loaded with our jobs and the futures of our families! The fight against privatization and contracting out is the fight against the take-over of our city by right-wing corporate interests. It is the fight for the future of our families, and for Detroit, one of the most important black communities in the nation. We need to strike and make our case to the community we serve and live in. Last week the City’s Registered Nurses in AFSCME Local 273 voted to walk out to protect their jobs from contracting out, and management backed off. That local plans to picket Herman-Keifer at 4:30 PM on Friday, September 13. Other city workers are invited to picket with them. The more unity we show, the stronger we all become.

· Eliminate Evaluations – Management is demanding that evaluations given by your supervisor determine who gets overtime, promotions, transfers, step increases, etc. This is nothing but a formula for discrimination and favoritism, custom made for racist and anti-immigrant bosses, a free ticket to coerce sexual favors, and an anti-union plot designed to create disunity and competition for the bosses’ good graces, and stop union members from standing up together for our rights!

In addition the following official AFSCME contract demands are still on the table. These are good demands and we must insist that union negotiators not give them up.

· Minimum to maximum pay in your classification in three years (currently it takes six years);

· Increase longevity payments by $150 for each step;

· Increase afternoon shift premium from 45 cents to 92 cents, and midnight premium from 50 cents to $1.32;

· Increase vacation accrual – add one more day per year for each year of service beyond 15 years;

· Allow members to elect to have 10% of their pay put into their annuity accounts;

· Full retirement at 25 years. Retirement formula – “Average Final Compensation” to be based on members’ highest-paid 36 months – no longer requiring that those 36 months be “consecutive months.”