City Council members in Detroit are considering legal action to prevent the dismissal of City Hall’s in-house janitorial crew, which received notice from the county building authority that they would soon be out of a job. The Detroit-Wayne County Joint Building Authority says it will save $1 million a year by outsourcing the janitorial work to a local minority-owned building service contractor.

After an injunction filed by the local AFSCME chapter against the layoffs was lifted, the city’s union workers turned to the City Council for help keeping their jobs.

The council plans to meet in closed session to plot strategies for keeping the janitorial crew, including a lawsuit. Council lawyers will be investigating whether the governing body has oversight over the building authority.

The current city budget proposal calls for 500 layoffs as well as 10 percent pay cuts. For the full article, click here.