Sanitation workers fight back

Some 50 sanitation workers employed by the city of Charlotte and their supporters protested and rallied at the City Council’s bi-monthly “Citizens Forum” on Jan. 2.

They demanded union recognition—North Carolina state law does not allow collective bargaining rights for public employees. They spoke out against work speedups, disrespect on the job, low pay, scheduling problems, and—two of the most repressive violations of their rights—unsanitary working conditions and the firing of fellow-worker Cedric Williams for union activity.

Williams is a member of United Elec trical, Radio & Machine Workers of America (UE) Local 150, which organized the protest.

According to a report on UE’s web site, “The workers, coordinated by UE Local 150, dominated the forum, holding signs and speaking out about the improper firing of UE brother Cedric Williams, an activist in the city’s solid waste department who was fired for his union activism. To aggravate the matter, Williams was denied any kind of due process or a grievance procedure to challenge his firing.”

The workers also complained that a manager threatened them in a meeting, saying that “Williams should be considered an example, and that union activity was illegal in North Carolina.”

Referring to the unsanitary conditions, the site states: “One of the most troubling complaints was the lack of sanitary facilities in the workers’ locker room. Workers say the toilets have been out of order for weeks, and the stench and leaking sewage have created a severe health problem.”

(www.ranknfile-ue.org)

The Charlotte Observer reports, “City Manager Pam Syfert said she could not comment on Williams’ situation, because it is a confidential personnel matter. As for the workers’ larger complaints, Syfert said, she would await a report from solid waste director Wayman Pearson, who did not attend Monday night’s open-forum council meeting.”

Members of the public supported the workers as they rallied outside City Hall after the meeting. Over a dozen new members also joined UE Local 150 at that time.

The Charlotte sanitation workers are determined to fight back for their dignity and deserve the support of all progressives, locally and nationally. They are planning an action during the city’s upcoming annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities and will continue the struggle to win their rights.

For information, contact Dennis Orten of UE Local 150 at (404) 538-8178. To sign an online petition supporting Charlotte’s sanitation workers, go to www.petitiononline.com/ue150/petition.html.