Dozens protest privatization of child support court
Source: Norman Sinclair, The Detroit News (MI), Thursday, October 11, 2007
A controversial proposal to privatize the Wayne County Friend of the Court drew dozens of union pickets outside the court in downtown Detroit today calling for the dismissal of Wayne County Circuit Court Chief Judge Mary Beth Kelly, one of the architects of the reform. Court employees who are members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) took turns carrying signs during their lunch hour to protest the move, which is now the subject of an unfair labor practice complaint lodged with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission.
...... Al Garrett, president of AFSCME Council 25, said Kelly is pushing privatization because she owes her position to the state Supreme Court who he said are the architects of the bid to privatize the court.