As originally published at http://seiumonitor.com/seiu-lobbies-lousy-legislation/
The California legislature is currently considering a bill to make it nearly impossible for most county governments to hire companies and nonprofits to deliver public services. The bill, AB 1250, was introduced by a former Service Employees International Union (SEIU) boss, and SEIU is one of its chief proponents.
Why does SEIU care about the manner in which local governments deliver services to their residents? Because it has thousands of members who work for county governments, and SEIU would like to keep them and their dues money.
The bill requires that contracts save money, which sounds reasonable enough. But then the bill stacks the deck against contractors by adding unnecessary costs to contracts. County governments would be required to perform cost-benefit analyses, conduct environmental reviews, provide orientation to the employees of contractors, and perform annual audits. The legislation would also mandate that contracts must not displace any current government employees or even cause them to lose hours; and it would make counties liable for contractors’ labor law violations. So, you see why it would be so difficult for counties to contract out – and these are just some of the bill’s provisions.
Richard McCarty is the Director of Research at Americans for Limited Government Foundation
