Workers Win in Council Votes on Furloughs, Annual Leave, Healthcare and Immigration

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)It was a busy day in the Wilson Building yesterday, as the DC City Council – with newly-elected Ward 5 member Kenyan McDuffie – debated issues from the repayment of city worker furlough days to the “Secure Communities” immigration program. The Council overwhelmingly (12-1) approved repaying city workers for four furlough days they were forced to take last year, a major issue for city employee unions and their supporters. The Council  also reinstated annual leave carry over and restored the employer contribution to city worker healthcare. And the Council took a strong stand against Secure Communities, a controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) program that, according to SEIU 32BJ Capital Area Director Jaime Contreras, “only leaves us less secure as crimes go unreported and victims go unprotected when immigrants fear the police.” The program went into effect in the nation’s capital yesterday, but in a move praised by a coalition of community, faith, and labor organizations, the Council limited ICE's reach in the District by passing the Immigration Detainer Compliance Emergency Amendment Act. - photo: DC workers at City Council yesterday; photo by Alya Solomon