AFSCME to Protest Proposed Privatization of Wayne County Friend of Court
Source: AFSCME Council 25 News Release, September 19, 2007
Albert Garrett, President of Michigan Council 25 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, issued the following statement regarding the proposal to privatize Wayne County Friend of the Court operations:
"AFSCME Locals 409, 1905 and 3309, all representing court employees, and all affiliated with Michigan AFSCME Council 25 will conduct informational picketing at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, Woodward and Jefferson in Detroit, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Wednesday, September 19, 2007," stated Garrett.
"We are protesting the planned privatization of the Wayne County Friend of the Court," continued Garrett. "Despite public opposition to the idea, Chief Judge Mary Beth Kelly has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP), and has posted the RFP on the court's website at https://www.3rdcc.org/rfp/rfp.pdf. The RFP actually calls for staffing at 133 percent of current levels. This is a clear indication that the plan will slash the wages and benefits of the workers involved, and will produce a spurious, apples-and-oranges comparison of the work accomplished by the public workers now staffing Friend of the Court, and the performance of the contractor."