WOODHAVEN, Mich. — The Woodhaven-Brownstown School District was expected to move forward with privatizing custodial and maintenance services after the Michigan Court of Appeals overturned a lower court’s granting of an injunction against the plan, The Detroit News reported.
School trustees voted last fall to outsource the services at an estimated savings of $1.7 million, according to The News. Twenty-eight workers were laid off, and their union filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission, The News reported.
A circuit court granted a preliminary injunction against the privatization, but the appeals court ruled that move was improper, according to The News.
The News could not reach union President Chad Smith for comment, it reported.
SOURCE:
The Detroit News, “Court rules in favor of school
district,” June 20, 2011
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, “Public School Privatization
Increases 8 Percent in Michigan,” Sept. 10, 2010
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a nonprofit research and educational institute that advances the principles of free markets and limited government. Through our research and education programs, we challenge government overreach and advocate for a free-market approach to public policy that frees people to realize their potential and dreams.
Please consider contributing to our work to advance a freer and more prosperous state.