AFSCME Local 312, representing Detroit Department of Transportation employees, have filed a suit against the DDOT in a Wayne County court, asking the court to halt the planned layoffs of 175 bus mechanics. The 175 jobs are to be subcontracted out, and the union wants the court to issue an injunction against subcontracting while Detroit city employees lose their jobs. The layoffs are scheduled to take place Oct. 2. Despite budget troubles, the city has canceled the further layoffs of 381 DDOT employees, but maintains that it will need to reduce wages and shrink the workforce. The union on the other hand, says it will not back down, and that other lawsuits will most likely be forthcoming.
See "Union asks court to block 175 layoffs of Detroit bus mechanics", Suzette Hackney, Detroit Free Press, September 24, 2009