WHEREAS, several hundred miles of corroded water pipes in Flint, Michigan, are leaching lead and other pollutants into the water affecting thousands of Flint’s citizens including between 6,000 and 12,000 children; and

WHEREAS, children under the age of six are particularly vulnerable to the serious health consequences of lead; and

WHEREAS, the corroded pipes have also exposed the people of Flint to chemical byproducts, E. coli, Legionnaires Disease and other unknown contaminants; and

WHEREAS, this tragic health crisis was caused by then-state emergency manager, Darnell Earley, as well as by negligence on the part of Gov. Rick Snyder in a single-minded effort to save public funds at all other costs; and

WHEREAS, Governor Snyder seized control of the Detroit public schools and put in place a series of emergency managers (the most recent being Darnell Earley) who then proceeded to use between 30 and 40 percent of the school system’s  state funding to pay off state debt ; and

WHEREAS, these cuts have led to deplorable conditions in the Detroit public schools including crumbling ceilings and walls, black mold, rats and roaches; and

WHEREAS, Detroit public school students and Flint residents are overwhelmingly African American, reflecting the tendency of disastrous breakdowns in public services to disproportionately affect communities of color; and the UFT is proud of its history of defending equitable treatment of all people regardless of race; and 

WHEREAS, the AFT and its Detroit and Michigan based affiliates have been bringing much-needed attention to the conditions in Detroit’s schools for months by calling for public hearings, creating a video documenting damage and numerous visits from AFT President Randi Weingarten; and

WHEREAS, the UFT has sent assistance to our colleagues around the country in times of need, and this time is no different — the UFT has sent a team of industrial hygienists to inspect Detroit’s crumbling buildings and make recommendations; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the UFT supports our brothers and sisters in the Detroit Federation of Teachers and all other AFT affiliates in Detroit in their fight for safe working conditions for themselves and safe facilities for their students; and be it further

RESOLVED that the UFT supports any legislative measures or executive mandates, at the federal or state level, to expeditiously repair or replace all water infrastructure to assure that the drinking water is safe

RESOLVED that those responsible for Flint and the woefully inadequate state of the Detroit Public Schools (DPS) are held accountable.