WHEREAS:

The minimum funding needed to maintain our existing highway, transit and transportation programs and make only minor improvements to these systems is estimated at $375 billion over six years according to the U.S. Department of Transportation; and

WHEREAS:

For every billion dollars spent on transportation over 47,000 jobs are created; and

WHEREAS:

Every year, President Bush has called for cuts in the federal transportation budget, making implementation of state transportation plans and priority projects extremely difficult and jeopardizing thousands of transportation jobs; and

WHEREAS:

The President's budget proposal for fiscal year 2005 is $100 billion less than the funding level that his own department maintains is necessary to fund the current systems and provide necessary homeland security in the area of transportation; and

WHEREAS:

In the face of increasing budget deficits and rapidly shrinking revenues, states desperately need higher transportation funding; and

WHEREAS:

Polls indicated that most Americans support better public transportation services; and

WHEREAS:

Private contractors are constantly seeking a larger share of publicly funded transportation work; and

WHEREAS:

Each year 42,000 highway fatalities occur, a third of which are directly due to substandard road conditions and road hazards that will not be repaired under the Bush budget plan; and

WHEREAS:

The Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO and the National Association of State Highway and Transportation Unions bring together transportation unions to protect jobs and fight for funding.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That AFSCME continue to join with the Transportation Trades Department and the National Association of State Highway and Transportation Unions in our common effort to gain higher funding levels and oppose contracting out in the federal highway and transit programs. This will create jobs by providing critically needed revenues for state and local transportation programs, make roads safer, and begin to address the homeland security needs of the nation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME encourage Congress to reject President Bush's inadequate transportation budget; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME continue its leadership in the fight against the contracting out of publicly funded transportation design, maintenance and operations; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME continue to build the case for even higher levels of mass transit and surface transportation funding for the future; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME advocates and promotes amendments or provisions in the TEA-21 Reauthorization bill that will require state and local transportation agencies to prepare a cost comparison for any outsourcing of services using federal funds. Emphasis should be placed on project delivery, accountability, public safety and proper oversight. This analysis would include:

1. a comparison of the cost of providing services from (a) private contractor(s) with the cost of providing services by public employees including an assessment of relative wage rates and the numbers of employees hired by private and public employers as well as the cost of additional inspection, oversight and administrative overhead;
2. disclosure of all violations of labor, equal opportunity, safety and health and environmental laws and standards;
3. assessment of the impact of governments' loss of independent technical expertise on its ability to perform efficiently and effectively in the future;
4. the requirement that the cost comparison be made public before government agencies decide to contract with a private firm;
5. contracts with a private firm would proceed only if the government agency finds that the potential cost savings from engaging the private contractor is significantly greater than if done by in-house services;
6. contracting out for services should not be outweighed by any other public interest; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME advocates for investment in training programs for government workers in new technologies within the TEA-21 reauthorization program and discourages federal requirements that promote privatization; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

That AFSCME collaborates with the affiliates to promote and insist on mechanisms to monitor state and local transportation agencies which will receive funding from the TEA-21 reauthorization program and enforce these provisions.

SUBMITTED BY:

Bob Chybowski, Executive Director and Delegate
AFSCME Council 40
Wisconsin

Claude Fort, President and Delegate
AFSCME Local 375, Council 37
New York