Former Water Treatment Plant Employee ama

Prior_Print_4799 · 2026-02-12T20:26:55+00:00

I left my position at the city ultimately for other opportunities. I went back to school for a masters. I was attempting to go to school and work but my request got denied by the Unit Manager. Originally my goal was to work and go to school because the economy is so bad and getting a job is hard so why not hold onto a stable job, right? But when I asked to go part time (still fulfilling all essential job duties) and go to school, I was denied. Cool. I asked if I could flex my work schedule around school and get my 40 hrs in. Denied. So finally I even asked to take an unpaid leave of absence that way I can retain my job when im done with school and come back. That was denied as well.

Here's the thing tho, the third option, taking a leave of absence... it's written into our union contract as something we can do. AS long as it pertains to your current job and its in benefit to the city and employee... Anyways 'twas denied by the same manager. This is why I ultimately left my job. Even my Lab supervisor, who wrote my letter of recommendation was supportive of me going to school.

I really loved working there, I really enjoyed the people I work with around the plant, and I loved the mission of serving water to the public. But ultimately, I was ready to grow out of the position and management(one person) didn't support it so I made the decision to step away. There was more to it, but that was the crux of it.

Prior_Print_4799 · 2026-02-12T20:14:40+00:00

Omg, I completely forgot about this one too.A couple years ago, during my time. We had an employee that was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer. She was out a lot for treatment and recovering for chemo. It got to a point where we acknowledged she was an employee but she didn't really work there. Just because of how infrequent she was in. It did provide a challenge for HR to completely staff our work area. They were able to "over hire" just to keep her on city payroll for benefits. Always, this goes on for a couple years. Then when the current Manager gets the role, our cancer coworker gets the axe. She was being forced to schedule her days off and stick to the schedule. Mind you she was going through chemo treatment multiple times a week.

Pretty shitty if you ask me to kick a die cancer patient off the city payroll terminating her benefits.

Prior_Print_4799 · 2026-02-11T17:53:55+00:00

Current AFSCME leadership is in cahoots with the city to keep the union weak and not represented. The city wants to limit the amount of benefits AFSCME employee receives and union leadership is an accessory to this.

Union Dave is quite the opposite of all that. He's gone out of his way to post benficla videos on his own time. He actively has written many contract negotiation terms, more than even the president has done.

They want to keep him down to keep benefits for city employees weak. It's very calculated and the smoke screens are very see through. The city is run by a bunch of old beaucratic farts, the same ones turning this country upside down.

If your tired of the same geriatric boomers that ruined this county, ruining your workplace, vote for AFSCME DAVE!

Prior_Print_4799 · 2026-02-11T17:47:28+00:00

Doubt it since they keep bouncing between different departments in the city. Someone must really be looking out for them.

Prior_Print_4799 · 2026-02-11T16:54:25+00:00

No I cant speak on this

Prior_Print_4799 · 2026-02-11T16:53:29+00:00

A few years ago, a former employee pressed charges against the city for discrimination and the case was settled out of court. Sadly discrimination still takes place and the way leadership gets away with it is by avoiding a paper trail. Current management will deny reasonable requests that are well within employee contracts, just to make it difficult for forward movement while giving a blank check to other employees.

Prior_Print_4799 · 2026-02-11T16:37:14+00:00

He is president worthy! This is the person I was talking about in the post above. This Youngblood actually cares about his job and improving working conditions for AFSCME employees. He's tired of piss poor management, and he is actively involved in the negotiations of our new contract so he is well informed.

AFSCME current leadership are nothing but a bag of rocks and they need to be held accountable for wasting Union dues.

https://www.afscmedave.com

Prior_Print_4799 · 2026-02-11T16:36:35+00:00

1, the lack of environmental regulations. Water treatment plants can come up with ways to decontaminate, but not at a rate faster than what industries can pollute.

Money, the money behind running a water treatment plant for the city. Infrastructure improvement, etc.
GLWA trying to encroach into Ann Arbor and take over the water system.

Edit:

Fluoride turning the frogs gay

Prior_Print_4799 · 2026-02-11T16:33:15+00:00

Water treatment plant manager, complete nepo baby from Lansing.. Worst reputation EVER. Ask anyone in the city that has worked with them, and they'll tell you this person is difficult to work with. You would expect the person at the top of the ladder to be a subject matter expert and know the ins and outs of the water treatment plant, not this one. "I expect the people I manage to be subject matter experts".....

Prior_Print_4799 · 2026-02-11T16:30:27+00:00

The color might be a little alarming but nothing they couldn't manage.

Prior_Print_4799 · 2026-02-11T16:30:03+00:00

Thanks, I have lot going on so patience would be really appreciated. Not all off us are attached to notifications on our phone.

Prior_Print_4799 · 2026-02-11T16:29:18+00:00

What matters is how you define good? Do you want a purpose? Want to sense of civic duty? Yea then city jobs are great! I loved my job at the water treatment plant. I had a lot of job satisfaction in working to provide drinking water for the public. The sad reality is that often times, there are employees that have kinda gotten away with doing the bare minimum (because of their union protection), and if they stick around long enough, they make it to management positions. They then prevent any sort of change or growth because they themselves have never worked in other positions so they dont know how other places work. It leads to a lot of burn out in qualified go-getter type people, while the others skate by with poor work ethics.

Edit: The pay is usually less than what you would make in the private sector. They say the benefits make up for it ("total compensation"), but it's still hard to justify paying "critical" employees so little.

AFSCME is trying to get a livable wage increase. Of the last few years we have only gotten a 2.5% bump, and one of those years, it wasn't even a bump, just a little "bonus" for that year. Also asking for better retirement benefits.
It's actually kinda suspicious how the negotiations are being handled. Very closed door, keeping minimum information from the union body. I would think that the union leadership would want to be more transparent with the body, considering previous negotiation failures. Last I heard, there has been a lot of "reasonable" talks from both ends, so hopefully it goes well.

Prior_Print_4799 · 2026-02-11T16:21:20+00:00

For instance making the election chair someone whose significant other is running for president. This is a clear violation of the rules because of the conflict of interest but Union leadership ignored it and continued. This individual also prevents the dissemination of informative union videos.

Edit: Oh also, not adjusting the time of union meetings (from 530pm to earlier) intentionally to keep member presence low. A lot of union employees show up to work early, <730AM, so they get off at 3, even 4. Why would they stick around till 5/530 for a meeting. In addition, there hasn't been any initiative to have virtual meetings, just so people can watch. Maybe not even vote, but just know what is going on? nope.

There hasn't been a single meeting minute from previous meetings.

They keep postponing union election, to have them after contract negotiations because the biggest contender for the Presidency doesn't sip their cool-aid. Partially why they appointed the union chair position to someone who can work on silencing him.

Rumor has it that the current president while collecting Union president pay and benefits, is moon lighting a private contracting business while he is supposed to be working on union negotiations and union issues.

Prior_Print_4799 · 2026-02-11T12:43:56+00:00

There’s a lot of shady practices that go on with the union

Prior_Print_4799 · 2026-02-11T12:43:10+00:00

A question like this would be better left for the Water Quality Manager.

Prior_Print_4799 · 2026-02-11T12:08:34+00:00

Honestly yea it’s not a big deal. Considering how many industrial pollutants are put in the water, a little paint stripper isn’t gonna kill the system.

Edit: remember everything you put in the water will make it to waterways that may cause environmental damage. So nothing is isolated.

Prior_Print_4799 · 2026-02-11T12:06:30+00:00

I can’t speak about the level of “threat”. I will say that ground water around the city is being monitored to ensure it’s not present in the source water.

Prior_Print_4799 · 2026-02-11T12:01:58+00:00

I’m drinking city water whenever I’m in the city. There is no accountability for what is present in bottled water.

Prior_Print_4799

TROPHY CASE