Employees Write Open Letter to State of the City Attendees: Urge Mayor Bing to Embrace Spirit of Cooperation and Collaboration for Greater Good

There is a better way to solve our common problems.  It starts with working together.  Effort is latest attempt to avoid pushing more working families into poverty.

DETROIT, March 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Working families for the City of Detroit will form an informational picket line and distribute the following open letter to people attending tonight's state of the city address by Detroit Mayor Dave Bing:

Dear State of the City Attendee,

Thank you for taking the time to attend this year's state of the city address.  Your attendance is strong evidence of your care and concern for the people of Detroit.

Your concern is shared by many.  Our city faces many challenges.  Yet we know every challenge can be overcome when people work together for the common good.

Working together for the common good is the spirit and intention of thousands of men and women who currently work for the City of Detroit.

Like you, they love this city.

Like you, they want the best for our community.

Like you, they want Detroit to become a better city.

Their situation is precarious but not unusual for people working full time in city government.  Sadly some city employees are living in homeless shelters today.  Consider this: Michigan AFSCME Council 25 workers make less than $30,000 a year on average and represent less than 40 percent of the city's payroll budget.  Even so, city executives want to cut their pay to levels that will make many qualified for welfare benefits even though they work full time.

Take the case of Jackita Muhammad.  "I borrow money right now to buy food," says Ms. Muhammad, a teller in the city's finance department.  "I try to buy beans and other staples so I don't have to ask family for money but the truth is that if the mayor cuts my pay, I may have to declare bankruptcy."

Muhammad, a single mother of three, has been employed with the city since the year 2000.  Ironically, during the day she handles thousands of dollars that people come to her window and pay for taxes and other costs.

Danielle Grazes, a civilian employee in the police department is in a similar situation.  "I have four kids and my husband is laid off," says Mrs. Grazes.  "With furlough days I could lose my house."

Both the Grazes and Muhammad families are members of Michigan AFSCME Council 25.  They are just two of the many examples of why working families are calling on city leadership to find ways to help people, not push them into poverty.

You can help.  The city's working families are asking you to do three things:

• Encourage executives to embrace a spirit of cooperation with public employees.
• Encourage executives to bargain in good faith, not tell people, "it's my way or the highway."
• Encourage executives to embrace working families, not push them into poverty.

Tell the city's leadership you know there is a better way to solve our common problems.  And it starts with working together.

For more information on how you can continue to support Detroit, contact Michigan AFSCME Council 25 at (313) 964-1711.  Thank you.

Sincerely,

The families of Michigan AFSCME Council 25

Michigan AFSCME Council 25 represents more than 90,000 public workers across Michigan.  AFSCME International represents 1.4 million public workers nationwide.  News releases issued by Michigan AFSCME Council 25 are available at http://laborweb.afscme.org/sites/MI_C_25

SOURCE Michigan AFSCME Council 25