Privatization… Outsourcing… Contracting Out… Firing Your Neighbors… Union Busting
No matter what it’s called, learn how to fight it and win at the
MEA Anti-Privatization Symposium
Date: POSTPONED
Southfield school board fires 350 dedicated employees
MEA will continue to fight efforts to bust unions, privatize support staff
NEW — May 20 Press Release:
Decision to outsource Southfield school jobs hurts local economy
Despite the persistent efforts of MEA members both at and away from the bargaining table, the Southfield Board of Education voted 5-2 on April 22 to fire more than 350 custodial, maintenance and transportation employees—and MEA members—and sell their services to private companies. Read more about what happened that night in Southfield.
In a news release, MEA vowed to closely monitor the school district and the out-of-state companies they contracted with, holding them all accountable to their promise that such a move would save money and improve education. Click here to read the news release.
"The Southfield school board members said this decision was in the best interests of students—and we're going to hold them accountable for this decision," said MEA President Iris K. Salters in this morning's release. "Student test scores better improve, class sizes better get smaller, necessary classroom supplies better be provided. And, most of all, the district better actually save at least $6 million a year. If not, MEA will show the community how the school board lied when it made this decision."
The board's unconscionable action comes after a report released by the Great Lakes Center pointed to evidence that privatization does not necessarily save schools money or offer improvements in support services. Click here to read more.
MEA will continue to fight these blatant attempts to bust unions, harm local communities and economies and threaten the education of public school students.
Report urges caution for schools contracting out support services
MEA ESP Caucus president calls study ‘a quantitative, unbiased resource we can use to fight privatization.’
A new report that examines the outsourcing of transportation, food and custodial services in public schools urges caution before rushing to privatize.
Vermont school administrators Drs. William Mathis and Lorna Jimerson say in their report that privatizing sometimes saves districts money, but many times it does not. Read more.
Tom Zaglaniczny receives Brunner Award for fighting off privatization in Grosse Pointe
The man known across his school district and community as “Tommy Z” last year waged a successful campaign against privatizing the jobs of 87 support staff members in Grosse Pointe Public Schools.
For those efforts, Tom Zaglaniczny received MEA’s highest honor for support personnel, the Leon A. Brunner Award, at the MEA ESP Statewide Conference in Traverse City on April 4. Read more.
Harvard labor expert encourages ESP members to fight privatization
Privatization’s goal is simple and direct: Break the back of the public sector labor movement.
That analysis came from Elaine Bernard, executive director of the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School and the Harvard Trade Union Program, in her keynote speech before 350 MEA members at the ESP Statewide Conference in Traverse City on April 5. Read more.
MEA VOICE At Issue
Broken promises, broken lives
In Hartland, 29 custodians lost their jobs to privatization. Since then, public records reveal a high employee turnover rate from the private company that took over the work as well as numerous complaints of inadequate service.
The fight against outsourcing the work of public school employees culminates when the local school board lays off the targeted employees and hires a private company to do their work.
With the people who most passionately opposed privatization gone, there’s often no one left behind to ensure that promises made in the heat of battle—pledges that the outside firm will provide quality service for less, for example—are kept.
Problem is, the promises aren’t always kept.
For custodians, maintenance and utility workers in Hartland Consolidated Schools, the contract they signed with the district in late 2005 was a promise.
After enduring months of tough bargaining, they took major concessions to save their jobs from outsourcing threats. Read more.