Sludge Watch ==> Detroit - sewage workers - 200 to lose job....

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

This is a union letter from Detroit worried because the unionized workers 
will lose their jobs when Synagro takes over sludge management.

In the City of Toronto the pelletizing plant was to be run by the City of 
Toronto and CUPE unionized staff.  Now the sludge pellet plant will be run 
by Violia (USFilter) and the union is out of the picture.
When there is a union there is more assurance that occupational health and 
safety measures are in place.



.............................................
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=171511503&blogID=292907936
Saturday, July 28, 2007




One Month to Get Busy and Save 140-200 Jobs

CITY COUNCIL DELAYS SYNAGRO TILL SEPTEMBER!





For years the Wastewater Treatment Plant has been threatened off and on with 
the privatization of sludge disposal. Now that threat is imminent.



In 1998, Minergy Corporation proposed baking the sludge into a so-called 
"glass aggregate." Unbelievably this stuff was supposed to be used to make 
roofing shingles and roads. Despite the absurdity of the concept, the City 
agreed to privatize 140-200 WWTP jobs, and to pay out hundreds for million 
dollars over 30 years to Minergy. Rather than fight the proposal, AFSCME 
Council 25 settled for a Memorandum of Understanding in the Master Contract 
which guarantees jobs for those displaced by Minergy. Unfortunately, our 
contract expires in July 2008. And in any event that's a lot of good jobs 
Detroit's youth will never see again.



In 2001, AFSCME 207 began fighting the proposal, working with the civil 
rights group BAMN and local environmentalists. Eventually after much work by 
many people, including militant protests, and some economic events beyond 
our control, the Minergy project folded.



But a couple years later Minergy's contract was bought out by Synagro 
Corporation. Synagro is part of the world-wide network of companies that 
privatize water and sewerage facilities. They have recently been bought out 
by the Carlisle Group, a Private Equity Corporation with a long association 
to George W. Bush's family. (see notes below on Bush ties to Carlyle group)



Synagro proposed trucking sludge to landfills and old mines, putting it 
directly on the land as fertilizer, baking it into fertilizer pellets, and 
burning it in high tech incinerators. The Mayor and Victor Mercado backed 
Synagro.



At a City Council public hearing requested by Local 207, members testified 
on the wasteful impact of privatization. Synagro faded into the background 
for years. But now it's resurfaced.

Local 207 met with City Council February 7, 2007. We urged them to reject 
Synagro and not sell out Detroit.



On June 20, 2007 the Mayor's appointed Water Board approved a scaled-back 
Synagro contract to haul some sludge to landfills and burn the rest, which 
is done now by unionized City workers.



On Wednesday July 25, we heard that the Mayor would ask City Council to 
approve the Synagro contract on the next day, July 26. We quickly 
distributed the Synagro contract to Council along with a letter (see other 
side of this flier), and we talked to Council Members and their staffs.



On Thursday July 26, Council Member JoAnn Watson opposed the contract and 
called for a public hearing. Others, including Sheila Cockrel and Ken 
Cockrel, Jr. expressed their concerns. The Council decided to delay voting 
on Synagro till after their summer recess, which runs from July 27 to early 
September.



This gives us time to organize ourselves, other unions and the community to 
defeat Synagro. But it doesn't give us very long.



If Synagro gets away with privatizing about 20% of our Local's jobs, no City 
job will be safe. A weakened Local 207 will mean a weakened City workforce, 
with much worse contracts.



WWTP workers – this is our jobs! Even if we are guaranteed jobs, they might 
not be jobs you want. To be 50 years old and suddenly assigned to a jack 
hammer in the street in January is no joke.



We will be calling on the members to take action to save our jobs, save our 
unions, and save our city from being sold off in pieces. We can win, if we 
fight. It's up to YOU. And the time is now!