In the midst of a strike by Detroit Water and Sewage Department workers, the department has suspended 34 workers and recommended that they be fired. The department says that the workers threatened public safety. The workers are protesting huge concessions proposed by the city, which will eliminate 81% of the workforce. Workers say that if the changes go through, they will likely be fired anyways. The workers also say that they are not striking water plants, only the sewage treatment facilities, and that clean water is a human right. On Monday a judge, who previously ruled that the city could throw out its labor agreements with unions, ruled that the strike was illegal.
See "Detroit Water suspends 34, seeks their firing amid strike", John Wisely, Detroit Free Press, October 2, 2012