WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (AP) - Some Detroit city employees will be going back to work next week under strict medical protocols to protect them and others during the coronavirus pandemic, as part of the mayor’s plan to reboot the city’s battered economy.
About 160 American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees workers and 40 Teamsters drivers will be returning to work Monday following discussions with union leadership, Mayor Mike Duggan told reporters Tuesday.
The workers primarily are involved in grass cutting outside city buildings, in parks and along roadway medians.
Each will be tested for COVID-19 before Monday and their temperature will be checked every morning. Anyone with a temperature above 100 degrees won’t be allowed on job sites.
“We were always - under the governor’s executive order - entitled to bring back people doing public service,” Duggan said. “I had not brought them back because I wanted to make sure we had the highest standard of medical safety before we did this.”
As of Tuesday, 8,823 people in Detroit have tested positive for the coronavirus and at least 987 have died. The actual number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested and studies suggest that people can be infected without feeling sick.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, or death.
About two weeks ago, Duggan announced layoffs, cut back some employees’ hours and reduced services to meet a projected $44 million deficit due to the pandemic. A state-ordered shutdown of non-essential businesses has left Detroit without millions of dollars in casino taxes, income tax, sales tax and fees revenue. Duggan has said the city was expected to lose $348 million in revenue through June 30, 2021.
Some of the workers returning to work are among those taking pay cuts.
AFSCME Michigan Council 25 president Larry Roehrig lauded the cooperation between city and unions.
“Sometimes, the hotter the fire, the stronger the steel,” Roehrig said. “I think the steel that comes out of this relationship, because of what we’ve been through, is going to be unparalleled and is going to be strong enough to get us through the rest of this.”
The city is also wants to get road crews back to work, critical construction projects resumed and contracts out to private companies, Duggan said, adding that the nation will be dealing with the coronavirus for many months to come.
“I think the reality is that we are going to be dealing with this risk in our community for another year and maybe longer,” Duggan said. “So, we just can’t stay locked up in our houses for a year. We have to figure out how to interact with each other in a way that keeps us safe and reduces the spread.”
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