“Outsourcing a public service is never the right move.” Outsourced golf courses returned to public control ROCHESTER — It took almost 17 years, but finally it’s become clear that outsourcing does not work. Monroe County workers will once again maintain three county golf courses. Lawmakers there recently terminated the contract with the private company a full three years before it was set to expire. Tripi A long fight CSEA Western Region President Flo Tripi had previously fought against the outsourcing in the late 1990s. She and other Monroe County CSEA members drafted a campaign to keep maintenance of the courses public. “As one of the many people speaking out against the move, I told legislators that conditions and quality at the golf courses would decline. That has clearly happened as complaint after complaint has been made,” Tripi said. “I told legislators that residents would become unhappy and that they’d show their displeasure by golfing elsewhere. That also has clearly happened as the number of rounds of golf played annually has dropped significantly. I told legislators that their oversight would be lost and that county workers could do the job better. That too, has been shown to be the case.” County workers will return to the Durand- Eastman, Genesee Valley and Churchville golf courses at the end of this year. “I firmly stand by my belief that outsourcing a public service is never the right move,” Tripi said. “Private companies are driven by profit. Private companies are generally not driven by the desire to do the best they can for people regardless of the cost. It’s all about maximizing the profit margin.” Outsourcing hurts everyone Private companies will often bid low initially and then try to renegotiate the CALL FOR ENTRIES Nadra Floyd Award for Organizing and the Membership Achievement Award Do you know a CSEA member, committee, local or unit that has worked to grow CSEA’s membership by helping CSEA organize a new group of workers into the union? If so, they may be eligible for the Nadra Floyd Award for Organizing. Do you know a CSEA group of members, committee, unit or local that has done the hard work of signing up newly hired employees as CSEA members or converting agency shop fee payers into members? If so, they may be eligible for the Membership Achievement Award. Read the nomination guidelines found on the official nomination form on the CSEA website at www.cseany.org. All nominations must be submitted by July 15, 2013, to the: CSEA Membership Committee Nadra Floyd Award for Organizing or Membership Achievement Award c/o CSEA Organizing Department 143 Washington Avenue Albany, N.Y. 12210 contract or otherwise make changes that reduce any “savings” for the county or municipality. In some cases, taxpayers end up paying more for the outsourced service than they would have had the service remained under government control. Outsourcing also has a negative impact on the community: people working for the new company often have their hours or wages cut. That means those workers have less money to spend in their communities. The loss of good paying, middle-class jobs hurts everyone, not just the person with the smaller paycheck. — Lynn Miller Central Region activist Tim Backus, left, was honored with the 2013 Nadra Floyd Award for Organizing, while Long Island Region activist Billy Kouvatsos, right, received the Membership Achievement Award last year. 12 The Work Force May 2014
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