DURHAM
Durham’s solid waste workers continued to strike for a third day on Friday, and are planning a rally as they seek bonuses and pay raises.
Their demands include:
- An immediate $5,000 bonus
- Pay raises, including increases that were withheld during the COVID-19 pandemic
- All temporary workers to be hired full-time
“We come to work every day just like the mailman: rain, sleet, snow,” Solid Waste worker Herman Moore said. “Y’all know that a happy worker is a good worker. Y’all meet us halfway, or somewhere where we can be satisfied with what we make, and we can do our job.”
City staff instructed residents to keep their trash and recycling bins on the curb Friday, as some people are working.
“We will work through this weekend to get missed routes,” a city spokesperson said Thursday night.
The workers rallied at CCB Plaza in downtown Durham Friday. A GoFundMe to help cover lost pay has raised over $44,000.
City to consider on Sept. 21
The workers appealed directly to City Council members on Thursday and succeeded in getting the matter placed on the agenda for consideration later this month.
Solid Waste worker Gloria Johnson was born and raised in Durham.
“Let me give you a little history. In Durham, it was an honor to work three places: Duke Hospital, Ligget & Myers and the city of Durham,” she told the City Council on Thursday. “Let’s come up with some options so all these fine gentlemen in here can go to work and let’s get this garbage up.”
The city’s website has a continuous job posting for a solid waste technician that lists pay between $40,099 and $61,720 annually. That’s about $19 to $30 an hour
“We’re suited and booted to go to work right now,” Solid Waste worker Chris Benjamin said. “We just want you guys to work with us.”
“We don’t want to drag this out,” added Solid Waste worker Christopher Copeland.
The council appeared split, but directed city staff to prepare for a conversation on the demands Sept. 21, a Thursday.
“$5,000 now or else is not really a way we can run the city. I’m just going to keep it real with y’all,” Mayor Pro Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton said.
The workers don’t have a union contract, but some contribute to UE Local 150, the N.C. Public Service Workers Union. It’s illegal in North Carolina for public employees to collectively bargain.
“You deserve to be paid a fair wage,” council member DeDreana Freeman said. “When the firefighters were in here trying to make sure that happened, I was looking for you all. I’m glad you’re here now.”
The politics of the strike
Mayor Elaine O’Neal laid the blame at the feet of the four members of the City Council who approved the budget earlier this summer. It included 2% pay raises for all city workers, as well as 4 to 6% merit increases.
“I’m not running anymore. All I do is care about this city. One of the reasons I’m not going to run again is because of this kind of stuff,” O’Neal said.
O’Neal allies herself with Freeman, who is running for mayor, and council member Monique Holsey-Hyman, who is running to keep her seat.
“I’m going to continue to fight — even if it’s three of us — for what I know is right,” Holsey-Hyman said.
They often find themselves on the losing side of votes with Middleton and council members Leonardo Williams, Javiera Caballero and Jillian Johnson.
Williams is running for mayor. Caballero is running for her current seat. Johnson decided not to run again. Middleton has two years remaining in his term.
“I am frustrated because I believe that people are being manipulated,” Caballero said in an interview. “There’s been no back and forth (between the employees and city management).”
Williams, too, was visibly frustrated during the meeting.
“I will not be reckless and just pretend we can wave a magic wand,” Williams said. “The city does not go out and sell lemonade and hot dogs to make money. We make money when people pay their taxes.”
Does the city have the money?
Union representative Dante Strobino said it would cost $8 million to $10 million to give the $5,000 bonuses to all the city’s general employees.
That includes non-management staff in departments such as Solid Waste, Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and more. It does not include police and fire.
City Manager Wanda Page said the tax rate has already been set for this year. Raises are a discussion that should be saved until the budget season begins in January.
“What is being considered here is a bonus or a one-time payment that will come from the city savings,” Page said.
The general fund has about $32 million in reserves above the money it needs to have on hand, according to the latest figures from the budget department.
Nearly $14 million was allocated in the budget approved in July, leaving about $18 million to work with.
This story was originally published September 08, 2023 12:12 PM.
