The Montgomery County Council unanimously voted to privatize its Department of Economic Development Tuesday, and replace it with a non-profit development corporation, putting the jobs of UFCW Local 1994 members at risk. “Unfortunately Montgomery County has been pushing privatization in the last few months,” said Amy Miller, a Local 1994 member. “Privatization of the Department of Economic Development is inherently corrupting and opens the department up to a ‘pay for play’ mentality.” Many of the department’s employees are Local 1994 members, and showed up in large numbers to protest the bill’s passing. Although the bill went through, Councilmember Roger Berliner made a commitment to introduce legislation after the summer recess that would create a publicly owned Office of Business Services. This new entity would provide public support for smaller businesses, and a way for UFCW 1994 members to keep their positions as government employees. Joslyn Williams, president of the Metro Washington Council offered his support to the union, saying, “The Metro Washington Council hopes that Councilmember Berliner will follow through on his promise to create the Office of Business Services that would remain in the county and would primarily serve the small minority and women-owned businesses. We will be working with the Councilmember and tracking the reintroduction and progress of this bill.” Photo: UFCW members at the council to protest the bill, courtesy of UFCW Local 1994