United Campus Workers Take on Attack by Tennessee Governor

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has a new scheme to privatize tens of thousands of jobs and jeopardize public service in every county in the state.

The governor wants to outsource all building and facilities services in all state buildings, including the University of Tennessee and TN Board of Regents systems. Thousands of jobs in every county and on every campus are at stake, along with jobs in hospitals, prisons, parks and recreation, and military facilities. The proposal would cover every range of jobs, from clerical and management staff to electricians, custodians and groundskeepers.

University of Tennessee workers, members of United Campus Workers-CWA Local 3865, are fighting back and mobilizing citizens to stop this scheme. The local represents more than 1,500 workers at 16 University of Tennessee campuses.

This is the same governor who was involved in a multi-million dollar privatization scandal just two years ago with a property management company, the local pointed out.

In 2013, the Haslam administration gave a $1 million, no-bid contract to the multinational property management firm JLL, in which the Governor was personally invested. That contract swelled to $10.7 million as the firm profited from its own recommendations. A scathing audit uncovered the scheme. Now the governor again is looking to privatize facilities, a scheme that would hurt public workers and citizens who depend on public services.

Diana Moyer, president of the United Campus Workers-CWA Local 3865, said it was clear that workers were the target of this scheme. Any savings "won't come from paper towel purchases or energy efficient light bulbs. This is all about paying people less and giving them less consistency in their hours and reducing their benefits," she said.

"Tennessee already leads the nation in the percentage of minimum wage jobs. Outsourcing will just lead to further reductions in pay, benefits, and job stability," she said, adding that Haslam's plan "would turn taxpayer dollars over to a private company that will prioritize profits over the interests of the people of Tennessee."

Contracting out of custodial services at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville has been a disaster, resulting in a sharp decline in service quality and huge cuts in workers' pay and benefits. The work finally was brought back in-house, because of the contractor's failures.

Local members are circulating a petition reminding Gov. Haslam that "Tennessee jobs are not for sale."

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