Recently in Victories Category

Source: By Dave Moller, The Union (CA), Wednesday, January 13, 2010

One of three committees working on ways to save Nevada County's financially-strapped libraries will recommend the county bail itself out and not rely on an outside firm.

The library systems Citizens Oversight Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend a plan from the Truckee Friends of the Library that keeps all the libraries open.

..... Committee members also rejected a proposal from private firm Library Systems & Services, saying it did not have enough details about how services would be kept as close to whole as possible.

Source: AFSCME Works Online Xtras, January 11, 2009

In a major victory in AFSCME's fight against privatization, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) will shut down its Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton on Feb. 1. It housed fewer than 250 inmates last year, in part because Minnesota is placing more offenders in state-run facilities. Prisoners from the privately-owned 1,600-bed jail will be transferred to a public detention complex in Faribault.

 Source: Ralph Ellis, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, January 8, 2009

 

When Milton became a city three years ago, its founders embraced privatization, paying a company to collect garbage, draw up zoning maps and handle the day-to-day duties of a municipal government. But the relationship soured when the city needed to cut the budget. Last week, Milton ended its contract with CH2M Hill, a Colorado-based firm, and went to a mostly traditional form of government. ..... City Manager Chris Lagerbloom said the change should translate into at least $1 million in yearly savings -- a significant sum for a city with a $22.9 million budget.

Source: By George Morse, EastBayRI.com (RI), 12/3/09 

EAST PROVIDENCE - In a split vote Tuesday night the East Providence City Council approved a new, three-year extension to a collective bargaining agreement with Local 2969 Rhode Island Council 94, AFSCME, AFL-CIO, a unit representing school department custodians and maintenance personnel.

 

..... By the time an agreement was reached, the union's concessions made them cheaper than private contractor SSC Service Solutions (a bidder for the job) by as much as $117,000 a year. Also, Mr. Barham said that since the school department looked at private groups, parents have "vehemently" opposed having private workers in schools.

Source: Linda Casey, National Institute on Money in State Politics, 2008-11-06

Since the mid-1990s - through six legislative sessions and three gubernatorial administrations - Alaska's lawmakers have made more than a half dozen attempts to privatize prisons. These attempts have met with unfavorable public opinion. To date, the strength of public opposition has prevailed, and all private prison proposals have been defeated.

Link to report

Source: AFSCME Council 48, August 4, 2009


.... KPOW presented the Milwaukee Common Council's Steering and Rules Steering and Rules Committee with a petition signed by 500+ people calling on the Common Council to "permanently withdraw" the privatization proposal. The committee agreed with the KPOW crew and voted to put on hold a proposal to hire an advisor to help the city solicit corporate bidders for a 99-year lease of the Milwaukee Water Works.

Source: Rachael Jackson , Sentinel (FL), 9:50 PM EDT, July 28, 2009

 

Cash-strapped Seminole County is no longer considering turning its libraries over to a private contractor, County Manager Cindy Coto said Tuesday.  A proposal to privatize libraries never made it to the county commission, but activists clutching tiny American flags attended Tuesday's commission meeting anyway, urging that county leaders never consider such a proposal again and that they sufficiently fund the library system.

Source: OCSEA News (OH), June 26, 2009

(Columbus) - In a huge victory for OCSEA activists in BWC who fought the measure, the proposal to study privatizing the Bureau of Workers' Compensation is officially dead.

A conference committee passed the BWC budget by a 6-0 vote, without a BWC privatization task force in place. Go here to contact the lawmakers who helped make it happen. Tell them you appreciate their efforts in keeping the Bureau of Workers' Compensation efficient and effective....and state-operated!

Source: By Jeff Waters, Democrat (FL), May 04, 2009 11:26

 

The move to privatize Suwannee Correctional Institution has been abandoned, according to SCI Warden Jim Witt.  The measure was written into the proposed state budget by the Florida Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Committee. Budget conference committee members gave up on the measure during negotiations Sunday night, according to legislative reports.

Source: Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau, October 2008

....... In fiscal year (FY) 2007-08, DOA spent $20.4 million on print and mail services, including
$1.7 million paid to Spherion for staffing services. The current contract with Spherion will expire on June 30, 2009, and DOA has begun preparations to solicit bids in October or November 2008. Using a cost-benefit model developed by DOA, we estimate that as much as $616,500 could be saved in the five-year period from FY 2009-10 through FY 2013-14 if state staff filled all print and mail positions currently filled by contract staff. However, contract costs will be difficult to estimate until DOA has received vendors' bids, and the actual cost of adding state staff is difficult to estimate because of the uncertainty of future salary, fringe benefit, and recruiting costs.