Salt Lake City municipal workers and community rally for strong contract
Salt Lake City, UT- On May 5, over 100 city workers and supporters demanded a strong contract in front of the Salt Lake City and County Building as union negotiations continue. Organized under AFSCME 1004, Salt Lake’s city workers demanded no cuts to worker compensation and condemned the city’s proposal for its attacks on union rights.
Also at issue are benefits, longevity, weekend shift differentials and holiday pay.
In a rally outside the city council chambers, city workers and their supporters chanted, “Who makes the city run? We do!” Workers from other unions answered the call for support from AFSCME 1004, including CWA 7765, which represents both the University of Utah’s campus and healthcare workers and the SunTrapp, a local bar.
Wearing green AFSCME shirts and holding signs reading “Strong contract now” and “We make the city happen,” municipal workers and their many supporters in the wider Salt Lake labor movement and community filled the City and County Building as Mayor Erin Mendenhall attempted to justify an austerity budget and regressive tax increases.
After Mendenhall’s presentation, union organizers led the crowd in a procession through the city council’s chambers, the line of green AFSCME shirts demonstrating the deep solidarity among municipal workers, their resolve in the contract negotiations, and the strong support they enjoy from the community and trade unionists.
After the procession, the crowd rallied once more on the steps of the City and County Building, the city workers having demonstrated their will to stand up for their dignity in the workplace, and community members having affirmed their solidarity with the workers who keep Salt Lake City running.