Utility Workers Fight Torrent Of Greed At American Water Co.
Friday, June 10, 2011(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
Charging that the American Water Company is demanding huge rate
hikes from customers and steep concessions from employees – while showering
top executives with lucrative pay packages – dozens of workers and community
members rallied outside the nation’s largest for-profit water utility in
Alexandria yesterday morning to demand an end to American Water’s “unfair
attacks” on working families. “American Water is trying to increase water
rates and give their CEOs millions of dollars" out of the pockets of their
workers through increased health costs, Gary Ruffner (below, reading letter),
National Secretary-Treasurer for the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA),
told Union City. “It’s always the case that greedy people want to make
profit off of the back of the workers, but it’s not fair to trample on the
workers and community like that. We’re here to bring attention to corporate
greed and the practices that are going on within corporate America all over this
country.” After leafleting
morning commuters outside the King Street Metro station for several
hours, the demonstrators – which included members of the UWUA, the AFL-CIO and
SEIU 32BJ – chanted “Rate hikes for you- bonuses for bosses!” as they
marched to American Water’s office on Duke Street to rally and deliver their message. “Having
CEO’s get huge bonuses and benefits while making employees pay double their
rate for health care is ridiculous,” said SEIU 32BJ Political Coordinator
Kevin Hills. “We don’t want all their money- we just want a fair share for
the workers and our community.” Before leaving, the demonstrators delivered
letters from Virginia Congressman Jim Moran and the Northern Virginia Labor
Federation urging William Walsh – the President of Virginia American Water
Company – to be “mindful of the difficult conditions facing working families
in Virginia and across the country” and to stop “the painful cost shifts to
those families.” The UWUA urges people to email CEO Jeff Sterba at jeff.sterba@amwater.com or call
856-346-8200 to let him know that “American Water’s demands for concessions
in healthcare and retirement benefits are unacceptable,” and that
“management should immediately return to good faith negotiations for a fair
labor agreement.” – report/photos by Adam
Wright