Day of Action

Saturday, September 21

 

 

ALL-CITY-WORKER MEETING

 

9 AM, AFSCME Building, 600 W. Lafayette at Third

(Park Behind Building)

 

Leaving AFSCME Building at 11 AM

 

 

PICKET THE MAYOR AT COBO HALL

 

12 Noon

 

ATTEND MEETING WITH THE MAYOR

 

12 Noon-2 PM

 

Tell Him We Will Strike Rather

Than Accept His Insulting Contract Offer

 

 

            Events are moving quickly. The members have definitely gotten the mayor’s attention by threatening to picket his house. Now the mayor has been forced to meet with the rank & file city workers. He may have thought this meeting would be a politically safe affair, but it will not be. The member’s anger at the mayor’s insulting offer is like a snowball that’s rolling down a mountain. Kilpatrick’s smooth talk won’t get it. We either get a fair contract, or we strike.

 

          We urge all members to come to Saturday’s events, and to tell everyone who will listen that we have reached the end of our patience. That will stand up for equal quality city services, and equal quality city jobs. If that requires a strike, we will pursue victory by any means necessary.

 

 

 

AFSCME Local 207: 96% YES VOTE!

 

Motion for Strike Authorization

 

 

Whereas:

 

1)     Mayor Kilpatrick’s policies are opposed to the basic interests of most Detroiters. Kilpatrick’s policies are for more privatization and sub-contracting of our jobs. This means more money and political influence siphoned from Detroit to outside corporations. Privatization and contracting-out of public service jobs is another form of takeover, similar to the takeovers of our schools and other institutions. It is part of the assault on Detroit and other majority black communities around the nation.

 

2)     Kilpatrick’s policies will relegate Detroiters to second-class citizens, with understaffed, ill-equipped public services, and under-paid public workers. We deserve equal quality city services, and equal quality jobs. We will not settle for second-class wages, increasing healthcare deductions and more abuse from our supervisors in the form of “performance evaluations.”

 

3)     Local 207 and other city workers will not let this happen. Our fight for a fair contract is a fight for our survival, and a fight to save Detroit, to stop takeovers and privatization of the people’s services and an integrated anti-racist fight in defense of our nation’s cities.

 

 

Therefore:

 

          We vote to give strike authorization to our union negotiators, and urged them to fight for our contract and Detroit’s future, by any means necessary.

 

 

 

 

Submitted by AFSCME Local 207 President John Riehl

To a Special Call Meeting of AFSCME Local 207 on September 19, 2002