Union criticizes judge's direction to ignore contracts, clean up Detroit sewage plant [View All]

[SpartanDem]

Source: Detroit Free Press

U.S. District Judge Sean Cox has told Detroit officials they can disregard the city charter and union contracts to speed the clean up of pollution at the sewage plant on the Detroit River.

Cox gave city officials 60 days to come up with plan to comply with the Clean Water Act. “If these local officials fail to devise and propose a workable solution to remedy the underlying causes of the serious and recurrent violations…this court will directly order a more intrusive remedy,” Cox said.

Union leaders immediately criticized the ruling, calling it an attack on home rule in Detroit. He seems to be suggesting that some type of dictatorship can solve this,” said John Riehl, president of AFSCME Local 207, which represents Detroit Water and Sewerage Department workers. “I don’t believe they have the right to do this.”
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The city’s failure to comply with pollution laws is due in part to “various provisions of the city’s charter and ordinances and by existing contracts that prevent the city from making fundamental changes in the identified problem areas,” Cox wrote




Read more: http://www.freep.com/article/20110909/NEWS01/110909047/Union-criticizes-judge-s-direction-ignore-contracts-clean-up-Detroit-sewage-plant-?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE