The Cincinnati Beacon
An Earth Day Rally for a Healthy Community: Celebrate Earth Day, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Posted by Media Release
When: Tuesday, April 22nd, at 5-6 PM
Where: Washington Park, 1225 Race Street, OTR, Cincinnati
What: A Rally Calling for Higher Wages & Less Trash
Who: Community, Labor & Faith Based groups and individuals in support of Rumpke Workers, The Sierra Club, The Day Labor Organizing Project & The Blue-Green Alliance
VICTORIES & challenges
Rumpke recycling workers with the help of the Blue-Green Alliance have succeeded in engaging Rumpke management to discuss and consider our demands for a Living Wage and Responsible Recycling practices. By bringing public pressure calling for Rumpke and TLC to change, they have won changes to pay policies that have eliminated the 2 hour wait after each shift. They have won freely supplied safety equipment instead of paying costly fees. Rumpke has committed to consider our other issues, but only more community participation can move the process forward. Let’s encourage them!
LIVING WAGES for recycling workers
About 50 workers sort the recyclable materials that arrive at the Rumpke Recycling Facility in St. Bernard. They separate plastics from cardboard, remove glass items, pull out trash, hazardous materials, and sometimes even dead animals. The plant is the final stop for recyclables that Rumpke picks up all over Cincinnati. It’s unpleasant work done on a contract with the city that brings Rumpke over two million dollars per year. The workers are paid $7/hour – minus a mandatory $7/day transportation charge, and until recently, $15 for a helmet, and a few more dollars for safety glasses and a vest. They receive no health insurance, paid time off, or retirement benefits. The majority of workers at the plant are employed by TLC, a temp agency that Rumpke uses. We believe these workers are clearly covered by the City’s Living Wage Ordinance which requires contractors and their subcontractors to pay employees without benefits $10.80/hour.
RESPONSIBLE RECYCLING practices
Cincinnati currently pays Rumpke over two million dollars to bring recycling to our community. Currently, the city diverts about 10% of its waste stream by recycling, far below the national average.
It’s time for a change and Rumpke needs to do its part. Let’s start by paying them for the work they do, paying them only for the bins they pick up. Let’s insist they expand coverage to larger multi-unit buildings and that they lead the effort to increase diversion from the land fill to 20% through good recycling practices.
In Solidarity,
The Cincinnati Day Labor Organizing Project
at the Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center
1415 Walnut St., Cincinnati, OH
513 621-5991
If you are interested in more information about DLOP, please contact us or come to a meeting: Wednesdays, 9:00 AM, Our Daily Bread: 1730 Race St., Cincinnati, Ohio
|