Labor Dept. cancels outsourcing contract award
Source: By ELISE CASTELLI, Federal Times, July 03, 2007
The Labor Department has canceled plans to outsource 258 administrative support jobs to the private sector after recent law labeled one-fifth of the jobs inherently governmental functions.
The emergency appropriation President Bush signed May 25 classifies all Mine Safety and Health Administration jobs inherently governmental and exempt from public-private competitions, regardless of whether those jobs are considered government functions elsewhere. Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., sponsored the provision saying that outsourcing functions at the agency would affect the safety of coal miners.
...... The American Federation of Government Employees had argued in a grievance filed June 1 that the change in law changed both the public- and private-sector bids, making the proposals invalid. The grievance also alleged the outsourcing decision violated anti-discrimination laws because many of the employees involved were female, black and over age 40.