Hoffa: We Stand With Flint

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is the official statement of Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa on the Flint, Mich. water crisis.

"Over the past month the water crisis in Flint, Mich. has been brought to the nation's attention. However, this is a tragedy that Michiganders have been aware of and the families of Flint have been dealing with since April 2014. Decisions made by state officials over the last year-and-a-half have led to a community being forced to use water from the Flint River – a source that has been found to contain unacceptable levels of lead.

"Despite a community uniting together to demand a clean and safe water supply, government officials ignored and dismissed the concerns. However, it took less than six months for General Motors in Flint to be granted a change of water source after complaining that the river water was rusting its parts. What does that say about our government when car parts are put ahead of public safety?

"While the water supply has been switched back to Detroit's, the government malfeasance that led to this state of emergency in Flint must be addressed. Gov. Rick Snyder admitted in his state of the state address tonight that the government failed the Flint community and pledged to fix the problem. For many Flint families, that pledge may seem empty at this point.

"As a proud Michigander, I call on the governor to release any and all documents related to the Flint water crisis to the public at large so that the parties responsible for this crisis are held accountable."

Contact:
Galen Munroe (202) 439-7427
[email protected]   

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SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters

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