Dozens protest privatization of child support court

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071011/UPDATE/710110483/1409/METRO

Norman Sinclair / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- A controversial proposal to privatize the Wayne County Friend of the Court drew dozens of union pickets outside the court in downtown Detroit today calling for the dismissal of Wayne County Circuit Court Chief Judge Mary Beth Kelly, one of the architects of the reform.

Court employees who are members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (ASFSME) took turns carrying signs during their lunch hour to protest the move which is now the subject of an unfair labor practice complaint lodged with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission.

The proposal requires a private company to add 33 percent more staff with the same budget of $28 million, a move that union leaders said would cause massive pay and benefit cuts to the 169 members and 18 supervisors.

Al Garrett, president of AFSCME Council 25, said Kelly is pushing privatization because she owes her position to the state Supreme Court who he said are the architects of the bid to privatize the court.

"She said the employee's performance is excellent yet she wants to give away their jobs," Garrett said.

You can reach Norman Sinclair at [phone] or [e-mail].