Utility Workers Fight Torrent Of Greed At American Water Co.

(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