GO PUBLIC CAMPAIGN, GOES PUBLIC — Developed in-house, PEF’s state waste ad campaign appeared recently in Crain's New York Business, The Chief-Leader, the Times Union, and The Legislative Gazette. Postcards with the ads were mailed out to lawmakers. VIEW ADS

New PEF campaign drives home call for accountability
By SHERRY HALBROOK
PEF is launching a $1 million campaign demanding greater accountability in public services outsourced to the private sector and shadow agencies. 

“We have been telling state policymakers for years that the loss of accountability, when they take public services out of the hands of state employees and hand them off to others, costs New Yorkers far too much both in tax dollars and lost quality,” said PEF President Roger Benson. “Now, it appears they are finally paying attention.”

A mounting tide of state budget deficits, abuses of power and scandals at public authorities have generated a powerful public demand for reform, and PEF is ready with solid recommendations for change.

“We are telling the state to save money and improve the quality of its public services by putting them back in the hands of state employees and by setting rigorous rules and standards for the award of any future contracts to the private sector,” he said.

Specifically, PEF is calling for legislation to:
• Require cost/benefit analyses before contracting out state services;
• Reduce the number of shadow agencies and increase their accountability by absorbing them into the current operations of state agencies with similar or related duties and responsibilities; and
• Require all state agencies to disclose how many contract employees they use.
Some of this legislation that was introduced in 2004 may be reintroduced in the 2005 session and assigned new bill numbers.

Phase 1 underway
The PEF Executive Board approved $150,000 to kick off the campaign, and will be asked in March to approve an additional $850,000 to fund the remainder.

PEF is unrolling its campaign in three phases over 20 months. The first phase includes:
• Education — Training and materials are being provided to local PEF leaders and members on how to recognize the threat and mobilize to fight it. 

• Gathering and sharing information — An independent Web site is being developed to chronicle privatization failures in New York and elsewhere. When complete, this comprehensive site will offer: case studies; analysis to debunk the myth that the private sector is always cheaper and better; news articles; data tracking employment at public authorities and public benefit corporations; information on political contributions by these employees and major state contractors for personal services; and advocacy and sample letters calling for legislative reform and solutions.

• Raising public awareness — A print advertising campaign is already underway to educate the public and policymakers about the issues. PEF is developing a DVD to show its members, policymakers, advocacy groups and other labor unions how privatization of public services and the need for greater accountability relate to broader issues such as budget deficits, the shrinking state workforce, reduced public safety and corruption. And PEF is mailing postcards that spotlight these problems to state policymakers.

Phases two and three of the campaign will involve significant member mobilization and lobbying campaigns.

Seen any smoking guns?
While most of the technical work of preparing the ad campaign, Web site, DVD and materials is being done by the union’s top leaders and staff, the success of the campaign ultimately rests on the determined support of its membership.

“The single most important thing our individual PEF members can do to make this campaign successful, is to bring us documentation of specific problems, failures or abuses that have arisen through the use of private contractors and shadow agencies,” said Tom Cetrino, PEF’s director of civil service enforcement and research. “Only our members have this information, and it is crucial to our campaign.”

You can also help by attending regional and/or division training; staying informed; helping to build links to other organizations and groups calling for government reform; helping to write letters and lobby your legislators; and by keeping your PEF leaders posted on how the campaign is progressing at your worksite and agency.

The Communicator May 2005
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