Third
Go Public bill signed;
just one more to go
By ROGER E. BENSON
The end of March saw PEF reach a milestone in our ongoing fight against
contracting out and privatization. Over the objections of a well organized and
well funded consultant community, the state Legislature passed and then the
governor signed into law the third of our four Go Public accountability bills —
Contract Disclosure.
The signing of this legislation is another step toward reining in consultants
and contractors, and bringing more transparency and accountability to state
government.
It provides us with a new and effective weapon in our arsenal against wasteful
and inefficient contracting out that threatens our members’ jobs and the quality
services we provide to the state’s citizens.
The new law will give the public and PEF the ability to determine the actual
cost of contracting out and open the process of contracting out to public
scrutiny.
However, our struggle against contracting out is far from over. One more of our
four Go Public campaign bills remains — Cost Benefit Analysis. And as we
continue our fight for passage of this legislation, we must remember that,
although we were able to get the a new Contract Disclosure Law, it still does
not require the state to choose the most cost-effective means to perform the
work.
The new Contract Disclosure Law requires us to be vigilant. The potential impact
of this law, in terms of the benefits to the taxpayers and the job security of
our members, is only limited to the extent we can identify wasteful contracting
out and create the political will to correct it.
Now, the ball is back in our court to use the new information to prove what we
have always maintained: state employees are the best bargain for the taxpayer —
highest quality for the lowest cost.
I congratulate all who worked to achieve this landmark legislation from the
inception of our “Cut State Waste, Not State Workers” campaign all the way
through to the current Go Public campaign. Your efforts have made this
legislative victory possible. Thank you.
GO PUBLIC — PEF President Roger Benson addresses
lawmakers at the union’s legislative reception in Albany.
— Photo by Richard Dillard
The Communicator May 2007
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