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Norwalk Union Members Rally, Call for Boss to Go

NORWALK, Conn. – Rhythmic chants could be heard near Norwalk City Hall on Tuesday night: "Hal's gotta go," "Fire the colonel" and "Privatization equals corruption."

About 70 people also marched on the sidewalk next to the ball field and in a circle in front of City Hall's entrance, wearing bright neon-green T-shirts as they protested the city's proposal to privatize garbage collection. Many were members of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2405; some were politicians or members of the Democratic Party.

Hal Alvord, director of the Department of Public Works, says the plan would save Norwalk $360,000.

"We're disappointed that Hal is selling our jobs out cheaply," said Local 2405 Vice President Hector DeJesus, who stood in the middle of the circle with a bullhorn. "That's why we're demonstrating here today: corruption. It's all around the state. You look at the paper, you see that privateers line the pockets of government officials. There's no hiding from that; it's the truth. It's just a matter of time, and it's going to happen here, too."

Although privatization was not on the agenda, union members attended the Common Council meeting later and listened quietly. Larry Dorman, AFSME's media contact, said they were making their presence known and would continue to do so.

Three Democratic Common Council members spent more time at the protest than at the meeting, which ended in 20 minutes. "Privatization only benefits the company," said Carvin Hilliard. "It does not benefit me and you, the consumer. It does not benefit you; it's not good. It's capitalism at its worst. Privatization does not work, in my opinion."

Matt Miklave said the amount of money that would be saved is a minor amount in a nearly $300 million budget. "This city is telling us that we're going to balance the budget on the backs of a small number of people, while everyone else goes without sacrifice and I think that's wrong. I think that's inappropriate, and I am opposed to it," he said. "We need to talk about shared sacrifice. We need to all be in this together."

David Watts called it union busting. "I am disgusted when I hear them talk about workers' comp," he said. "Do they understand how difficult the job of a sanitation worker is?"

Milton Giddiens, president of Local 2405, said it isn't "about a couple of jobs," it's about a trend that would hurt the city. "We hope people get it," he said. "We hope the citizens of Norwalk stand up and say, 'Hey, what's going on?' If this goes private it goes out of the control of the citizens. It puts it in the privateer's hands, and you do not see that private contract. This is very dangerous because you do not know what's going on."

The Daily Norwalk plans to present the point of view of the city in a separate article.

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