Members of the union representing Ann Arbor city employees have been working without a contract since January. On Monday, they took their case for a fair contract to the City Council.
Clad in their green AFSCME t-shirts, city employees told the council their members are struggling to make ends meet. They say they haven’t gotten raises in 29 months.
AFSCME Local 369 President David Kastner says Ann Arbor needs to follow its own progressive policies when it comes to wages.
“Progressivism isn’t just solar panels and bike lanes. It’s economic justice. Being called ‘world class workers’ rings hollow when the majority of city employees can no longer afford to live here. A dignified wage should not mean also having to donate plasma weekly to survive or delivering food at night instead of seeing your family.”
City Council members thank the AFSCME employees for their service and promised to do what they can to reach a fair deal.
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