Every day, we hear more about attacks on public employees. From privatization to attacks on our right to collectively bargain, our future is very uncertain. An important thing to highlight in response to these attacks is the true value that public employees provide to their communities.
Whether we are responding to an emergency, building or revitalizing infrastructure, or providing a routine service, we get it done with better quality and often a lower cost than a privatized alternative.
Recently there have been some wonderful examples of how our members truly provide the best value in keeping our communities running every day, and ensuring the safety of those most dear to us.
An Orange County infant is alive and well because of a county 911 dispatcher, who successfully talked the baby’s mother through performing lifesaving CPR.
After the state closed the aging Mitchell Road Bridge in Monroe County last summer, several CSEA members not only repaired the 105 year-old span, but more than doubled its maximum weight capacity. These members accomplished this job several months ahead of schedule — and at a far lower cost than a private contractor would have charged.
When spring flooding hit numerous communities along Lake Ontario, our members in many state and local government agencies were working around the clock to contain damage and help those who were affected.
In Madison County, our members’ hard work not only helped county employees save money on their health insurance, but saved taxpayer money.
Numerous studies have confirmed what we have known for years: public work should be kept public. Contracting out public services often leads to higher costs, which taxpayers then have to bear. According to nonprofit advocacy group Food and Water Watch, a study of municipalities that returned to public water and sewer services after having those operations managed by private contractors found that the public services were an average of 21 percent less expensive.
Contracting out can also lead to lower wages and diminished benefits, as private contractors often balance their checkbooks on the backs of the workers. Private contractors often cut corners to reduce costs, lowering the quality of the products and services they provide.
Cornell University’s Mildred Warner, an expert in city and regional planning, noted in a New York Times column that local governments in-sourced previously outsourced public services because of diminished quality of services and lack of savings from contracting out.
Above are only a few examples of many, but they all have one main theme: without public employees, each of these stories would have ended differently and in some cases, tragically. These are costs our communities cannot afford.
— Janice Gavin
