Custodian union vs city of New Haven

New Haven, Conn. (WTNH) - The ugly fight between the city of New Haven and its custodian union just got a little uglier. The city wants to get rid of the union and hire a private contractor and they say they have proof that the janitors are not doing their job.

"We work for the taxpayers. The taxpayers pay our salary, which we are grateful for. Give us benefits and health insurance, so we want this to succeed more than a management company," said Robert Montuori, AFSCME Local 287. "I think that there are positions in the city that need to be cut. I think the city government needs to be reduced, but the custodians are not one of them."

Today the city fired back, releasing results from an unannounced inspection that they ran one night last week. They found that 82-percent of the custodians were not working or watching the NBA Finals -- that's 14 of the 17 school custodians.

The report also says there have been complaints from staff and parents about trash, dirty bathrooms, unlocked doors and lights left on. The city says if every custodian on the night shift at a New Haven school doesn't work for a half hour a night, it costs the city nearly $400,000 a year.

The custodians say they will fight through arbitration to keep their jobs.