Will AFSCME 207 Strike?

By Karen H. Samuels/Tell Us Detroit

The city and its unions are locked in a stand-off on how to best eliminate the city’s $300 million dollar deficit. Mayor Dave Bing has said repeatedly that furlough days, benefit cuts and layoffs are necessary to address the grim reality of reduced revenue, a shrinking population and its impact on delivery of city services.

At the same time, AFSCME Local 207 is threatening a work stoppage. The union held a meeting late Wednesday afternoon to pump up support for a united community-public worker strike. Some 100 city workers came out to the IBEW Hall to hear from AFSCME Local 27 President John Riehl and other union leaders.

Riehl said Mayor Bing has set arbitrary deadlines for unions to concede to concession demands, and has repeatedly backed away from them. The decision to rescind the layoffs of bus drivers was an example Riehl said of how union protests and community reaction to the loss of Sunday bus service had been effective. Press coverage of picket lines in recent weeks has also worked in the union’s favor said Riehl by getting the facts out to the public. But Mayor Bing has told reporters on Monday that layoffs of up to ten percent of the city’s workforce are a reality saying "There is no way around it”.

The Mayor is pressuring unions according to Riehl to give back without offering to reduce the number of layoffs. Another deadline for Department of Transportation workers is set for September 26th” when bus driver layoffs and some reduction in routes is expected to take effect. No date for a strike by union workers has been given; Riehl said any work stoppage would last from one to three weeks.