Wayne County Circuit Court Orders Mayor Bing to Honor AFSCME Contract

DETROIT, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Albert Garrett, President of Michigan Council 25 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, issued the following statement:

"Today, Judge Amy Hathaway of the Wayne County Circuit Court enjoined Mayor Dave Bing from terminating the AFSCME collective bargaining agreement," stated Garrett. "The court stated, 'the status quo of the contract is preserved as it was prior to the issuance of the October 09, 2009 letter of termination by Barbara Wise Johnson.' Further, Judge Hathaway has compelled expedited arbitration concerning the grievance filed by AFSCME as it relates to termination of the contract. This is a victory not only for AFSCME; but for all labor unions that have contracts with the City of Detroit."

Attorney Herbert Sanders represented AFSCME Council 25 in the legal cause of action seeking the injunction. Sanders stated, "It is clear the mayor exceeded the scope of his authority when he terminated the AFSCME contract without city council approval. The Honorable Edward Plawecki has been appointed as arbitrator and will hear the case within the next 30 days."

Albert Garrett is also Michigan Vice President for AFSCME International. 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://www.miafscme.org/Releases.htm