Detroit EMS Workers Rally For Improved Service
DETROIT (WWJ) - Carrying signs and asking motorists to honk their horns, Detroit EMS workers staged a protest Wednesday outside the Coleman Young Municipal Center.
Speaking to WWJ Newsradio 950's Florence Walton, EMS spokesman Joseph Barney said they are under staffed and ill-equipped.
"When we sat down with the city they canceled our collective bargaining agreement," said Barney. "We have tried to negotiate with the city to improve EMS. We weren't asking for better wages, we were not asking for everything. Actually we were trying to negotiate to improve the system. We have a lot of problems with this EMS system."
Barney said the city is making it difficult for them to do their jobs.
"We're under-staffed, we're not properly equipped, and we're just not functional," Barney said. "And as such the citizens suffer the most because of that because EMS can't get to them when they call 9-1-1."
Barney said EMS workers also want to be recognized as a public safety group.
