Durham sanitation workers out of work

On September 6-11, 2023, hundreds of Durham sanitation workers did not load their work trucks in protest of low pay. These workers are standing up for all working people in Durham, across NC, and the US South.

This fundraiser is to help cover the salaries of those workers that did not have sick or vacation time they could use to cover those days off work. There are several temporary workers that have no sick or vacation time, that took the stand. There are new employees and others with chronic health conditions that also do not have leave time. These workers stood up for us, now we must stand with them.

For weeks, workers with the City of Durham have been signing a petition which they presented

to City Council on September 5, calling for:

1. Immediate $5000 bonus,

2. Pay workers for all work outside their job title, and

3. Hire all temporary workers permanent

In June, the city council voted against a raise for city employees to catch up for the two years of the Step Pay Plan that they skipped during the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers are disappointed with the raise they received, which does not keep up with inflation and rising cost-of-living. Since 2019, wages have gone up 15% but inflation and cost-of-living has gone up 23%. Effectively an

8% pay cut. Workers will receive between a total of 6-8% pay increase this year.

Increasingly, city workers are forced to work second jobs and still are not able to afford to rent or own a house inside Durham city limits, the city that they help maintain. Vacancy rates, especially in the Public works departments (over 120 of the department's 177 positions are currently empty), are increasingly high, adding additional stress and workload to underpaid workers.

See video and learn other ways to support at https://ue150.org/