City employees protest outside Memphis City Hall over unmet labor agreements

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Nearly 150 city employees gathered Tuesday, Oct. 21, outside Memphis City Hall and called for Mayor Paul Young’s administration to honor what they describe as broken promises surrounding wages and working conditions.

The peaceful demonstration brought together members from several labor unions, including the Communications Workers of America, the Memphis Police Association, the Memphis Fire Fighters Association and the International Union of Operating Engineers. Workers say the city has refused to agree to the terms of memorandums of understanding, or MOUs, which outline agreements on pay increases and workplace standards.

“The most common cause of death for firefighters are cardiac events, and that’s a result from broken sleep, stress, and carcinogens inhaled every time we’re at a fire scene,” Sara Ayaz of the Memphis Fire Department said. “The MOU helps to provide things that make those risks, and have benefits to outweigh the cons of the job in a way that is long-term, so we can eventually have some retirement time.”

“He told us to our face in an interview that he would create a labor liaison position in his administration,” President of Teamsters Local 667, James Jones, said. “We asked him if he’s union-friendly, and he said yes.”

The Fire Fighters Association is currently in a legal battle with City of Memphis, claiming it violated a contract by promising a 5% raise but only delivering 3% in a budget payraise city-wide. In response, city officials have argued that MOUs are not enforceable collective bargaining agreements under Tennessee law.

City library workers, who are not formally unionized but have an independent labor group, also joined the protest, citing similar concerns around pay and working conditions.

“Wages are one of the big things,” said Samara Solomon, a Memphis Public Libraries employee. “We’re putting on a lot of programs, and we are the lowest paid in the city. We work in a lot of old buildings, so there are issues with that, and security is an issue as well.”

In a statement responding to the demonstration, Mayor Young referenced the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He said, in part: “My ultimate responsibility is to govern and to ensure our government serves everyone. In that pursuit, we will continue to work with our employees to find a fair resolution.”

But employees at the demonstration said the issue goes beyond policy: it’s personal.

“These are people’s lives,” Wade Boswell, President of CWA Local 3806, said. “It’s their retirements, their benefits; it’s how they send their kids to school, how they take vacations. It’s all part of what everybody else expects when they have a job.”

City council members Jerri Green and JB Smiley, along with State Rep. Justin J. Pearson, also spoke at the event in support of the workers.

This article was originally published by ABC24 Memphis.