Plainfield Sanitation, Sewer Workers To Rally For Fairer Wages

PLAINFIELD, NJ — More than 50 Plainfield sewer and sanitation employees, who worked throughout the pandemic as critical, front-line essential workers, will rally to protest "unfair wages" on Tuesday.

The rally, organized by the United Service Workers Union (USWU), will be held at 4 p.m. outside Plainfield Municipal Utilities Headquarters at 127 Roosevelt Ave. in Plainfield.

Under the Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority (PMUA), the union claims many of these employees were working - in some cases below $15 per hour - for the "dangerous and dirty jobs". This is in comparison with much higher wages with similar sewer, sanitation Public Works workers in other parts of Union and Middlesex County.

"Many are forced to rush to second jobs after their shifts conclude, just to afford the regional cost of living," stated the USWA. "The Plainfield workers. many with 10, 15 or 20 years of seniority on the job also say they are being shortchanged out of retirement benefits which other workers directly employed by the city receive, but which they are being denied."

The PMUA did not immediately respond Patch's request for comment on the rally.

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