WHEREAS:

            State and local governments, facing economic constraints and pressure to provide better services with less funding and fewer employees, are embracing the claims made by profit seeking companies and anti-government advocates that contracting out will solve their problems; and

WHEREAS:

            As more state and local governments have increasingly experimented with contracting out, the benefits of private provision of public services have proven to be more elusive than proponents claim; and

WHEREAS:

            In reality, contracting out leads to higher costs, poorer quality of services, increased opportunities for corruption, and the loss of government flexibility and accountability; and

WHEREAS:

            Women and minorities are disproportionately harmed because they, more so than white male workers, rely on public employment as a means of economic and social advancement; and

WHEREAS:

            The economy of communities suffer as relatively good jobs with benefits become low wage, no benefit jobs provided by companies, who may not even be located in the area; and

WHEREAS:

            Contracting out has become the new political patronage system. Contracts for public services often become rewards for cronies and campaign supporters, just as in the days of the spoils system when public jobs were doled out as patronage; and

WHEREAS:

            Those elected officials and public sector managers who advocate contracting out ignore the desire and ability of public workers to reduce costs and improve services.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

            That AFSCME continue to aggressively oppose contracting out by educating the membership, elected officials and the general public about the problems related to contracting out; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

            That AFSCME make every effort to work in coalition with other concerned groups to oppose all efforts to contract out; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

            That, where appropriate, AFSCME participate in joint labor-management quality initiatives or other similar partnership efforts to improve the quality and cost effectiveness of public services by developing and utilizing the decision-making skills, ideas, problem-solving abilities and expertise of public workers and by eliminating costly and outdated management barriers to efficient and effective government; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

            That AFSCME councils and locals are urged to negotiate appropriate successor clauses in their collective bargaining agreements which would require new employers to assume the terms of the collective bargaining agreement currently in effect, including the obligation to enter into negotiations for a successor agreement upon the expiration of the current agreement; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

            That AFSCME councils and locals use such strategies as cost comparisons and feasibility analyses, publicity campaigns, lobbying, appropriate legal action and the passage of legislation restricting contracting out, in order to stop the contracting out of the delivery of public services.

SUBMITTED BY:  

Charles S. Ensley, President and Delegate
Anthony Basilio, Secretary-Treasurer and Delegate
AFSCME Local 371, Council 37 
New York

Laurie Walker, President
Mary Diane Goldberg, Recording Secretary
AFSCME Local 457, Council 25
Michigan