2A O
Cgatbtte ^O02
Garbage workers: Don’t dump on our
City Council member
James West said openness
and dialogue reduces misun
derstanding in cases like
these.
“This is good for the work
ers, the dty and the residents
as well,” West said. “I think
it’s going to be a win-win for
everybody”
Angaza Laughinghouse is
the statewide representative
of the UE 150 union. He sai
Allen “dissed” the sanitation,
workers. ^
He outlined the empjbyee’s’
four urgent demands: to have
the union fuUy recognized,
eliminating forced overtime,
include time-and-a-half pay
for any overtime hours
worked and all temporary
workers to become full-time
employees.
Damis Orton said the main
o^fe^ve'bf Ihy fUUlUl iJWwguM**
rfespect for the workers who
■ are f9wvidijig.a.pulJic ^goyice
to the dty
‘We fight for power, respect
and better wages,” he said.
North Carolina still follows
old laws like General Statue
95-98 that makes it illegal for
anployees to sign an enforce-
Please see WORKERS/7A
Wiiheimenia Remtaert is still focused on the well-being
of people, not scoring political points.
What Wiiheimenia will
continue to focus on:
PHOTO/SOMMER BROKAW
Raleigh sanitation workers in Raleigh protested last week for better work conditions and
compensation. About 60 workers from the North Carolina Public Service Workers Union and
supporters marched in front of Raleigh’s Municipal Building.
By Sommer Brokaw
THE TRfANGLE JR/SUNE
RALEIGH - Sanitation
workers are still not satisfied
with their boss, City
Manager Russell Allen.
They blame Allen for allow
ing workers to put in loi^
houirs without fair compensa
tion. They want more money,
benefits and respect for their
work.
About 60 sanitation work
ers, community leaders and
other supporters gathered in
fixtnt of the Raleigh
Municipal Building last
Monday to get dty leaders to
hear their concerns. The
workers were disappointed
after a previous meeting with
Allen that they called a “flop.”
Jerry Ledbetter has been a
full-time employee of the san
itation department since
2001. He said he was disap
pointed that AUen did not rec
ognize the UE 150 union
members. He said aU parties
involved in the workers’ dis
putes must be heard before
negotiations can start.
Raleigh Mayor Charles
Meeker said the depart
ment’s temporary workers
should go through a short
Allen bill
would
help blaek
farmers
Continued from page 1A
be a radal slur - duiing a
mostly white rally
Allen had been favored for
re-elecdon over Democrat
Jim Webb, who seiwed as
Navy secretary imder
President Reagan. A formei'
governor, AUen also had been
considered a contender for
president in 2008.
The biU AUen is sponsoring
would give black farmers
•another chance at compensa
tion under' the settlement of a
discrimination lawsuit
against the Agriculture
Department. A siniUar mea
sure is pending in the House.
The department agi'eed
seven years ago to pay farm
er's who could show they were
discriminated against, pro-
vidit^ payments of $50,000
in most cases and unlimited
payments in. extreme cases.
More than 60,000 people
submitted claims but missed
the filing deadline. Black
farmers’ groups have been
lobbying Congress to let those
claims proceed.
“Our dvU rights fight has
taken a decade, but this is an
important step in tlie strug
gle,” Virginia farmer John
Boyd, the president of the
National Black Farmers
Association, said in a news
release finm AUen’s oflBce.
AUen said the biU expands
benefits fi'om the settlement
“to aU Afi'ican American
farmers who suffei-ed the
indignity and inequaUty of
being denied financial assis
tance throng USDA.”
probationary period and then
become fuU-time employees.
“After six months, they
should become fuU-time
employees with benefits,”
Meeker said.
The mayor is also waiting
on a fuU report fi'om the
department regarding over
time pay and comp time
Meeker told reporters that
he supported the sanitation
workers’ right to demon
strate.
“This is public property and
they have a right to picket
here,” he said.
Employee Ricky MUler said
the temporary workers are
forced to work ovaiime hours
but are not compensated for
it. MUler is supposed to work
rmtil 5:30 p.m., but often
stays until 7:30 or even 8 p.m.
“We get comp time, but
that’s nothing,” he said,
explaining that they hardly
get to use those hours for
vacation time.
EDUCATION
*CMS (P-12)
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES
"More businesses and/or
expansions
•More jobs
HEALTH CARE & HUMAN SERVICES
‘Access to quality health care
‘Access to other critical services
Review Rembert's record.
She keeps her word.
She will focus on people...,
not politics.
Remember Rembert
in November.
info@voterembert.org
www.voterembert.org
Paid for by Rembert for County Commission Committes
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