2014: The year the states began to de-privatize

In 2014, taxpayers began to halt runaway privatization of government services. Maryland's Legislature passed a law banning private contractors from contracting with the state if they broke the law. In Oregon, Nebraska and Connecticut, legislatures passed laws requiring more supervision of private contracts.

Today, dozens of cities, counties and school districts are set to impose more control over private contractors, according to a new report by In The Public Interest.  And a total of 19 states had legislation introduced that would let taxpayers reclaim control of public services.

The rush to privatize government services began in the 1970s with claims the private sector could do it 'better, faster and cheaper,' than the government. But by now citizens are finding out 'privatization' often means private contractors looting the public treasury.

In, Chicago, residents rebelled against the privatization of the city's 36,000 parking meters. According to the Atlantic Monthly,

Parking-meter rates had suddenly gone up as much as fourfold. Some meters jammed and overflowed when they couldn't hold enough change for the new prices. In other areas, new electronic meters had been installed, but many of them didn't give receipts or failed to work entirely. And free parking on Sundays was a thing of the past. 

The new meter regime sparked mass outrage. People held protests and threatened to boycott. But there was little recourse: The city had leased its 36,000 meters to a private Morgan Stanley-led consortium in exchange for $1.2 billion in up-front revenue. The length of the lease: 75 years.

It got worse: an inspector general's report found the city's taxpayers overpaid the Morgan Stanley consortium by $974 million.

Here's another example: 65 percent of state contracts with private prison company CCA guarantee 90 percent of the prison beds will be filled, or the state will pay CCA for the difference.

Teamsters have successfully fought privatization of public services when it will replace Teamsters with low-paid, poorly trained contract workers and higher costs to taxpayers. The Teamsters represent several hundred thousand public sector workers.

The In the Public Interest report describes some sensible proposals to let taxpayers take more control of government spending on private contracts:

• In California, a resolution passed the Assembly that said lawmakers opposed any outsourcing of public services and assets that did not meet standards of transparency, accountability, shared prosperity and competition. 
• In Georgia, a bill was introduced requiring contracts to demonstrate a 10 percent cost savings to taxpayers. Minnesota lawmakers considered a bill to require a 15 percent savings from a private contractor.
• A Tennessee proposal would ban contract language that guarantees corporate profits at taxpayers' expense, including 'lockup quotas.'
• A Vermont will would make it easier for taxpayers to cancel a contract if the company doesn't deliver quality services and cost savings. 
• A West Virginia lawmaker proposed a bill that would ban companies that evade taxes or broke the law from receiving state contracts. It would also require fair pay and reasonable benefits. 

GEO Group stadium mocked by Colbert, opposed by activists

The furor continues over Florida Atlantic University's deal to name the Owls football stadium after private prison operator GEO Group. The jokes are continuing, as well.

The stadium has been nicknamed "Owlcatraz." It's been suggested that the University of Miami stadium would be a more appropriate venue for a prison company.

You can start the petition asking Florida Atlantic University to drop the GEO Group name from the stadium here.

Fla. football stadium named for private prison company

Florida, perhaps the most comically corrupt state in the union, will soon boast a football stadium named after a private prison company headquartered in Boca Raton.

Florida Atlantic University announced today a marketing deal with private prison company GEO Group. For $6 million, the Owls stadium in Boca Raton will be named Geo Group Stadium.

This is perfectly appropriate in a state Florida with a highly developed school-to-prison pipeline. The Sunshine State sends 8,000 students a year to detention centers for behavior that used to earn them a trip to the principal's office -- including yelling in class or refusing to take a cell phone out of a pocket.

The Orlando Sentinel recently reported on the arrest of 12-year-old Nalani Bolden:

Nalani, now 13, had been suspended from Avalon Middle for a string of minor offenses — excessive talking, tardiness and a cellphone infraction — and banned from campus. 

But a telephone message about the suspension never reached her, so Nalani went to school that morning in May. When a dean spotted her, she told Nalani to go to the office. Nalani "became irate" and refused, even after the school's resource officer confronted her. She was then arrested for trespassing. 

The deputy handcuffed her, walked her through a crowd of students in the courtyard and put her in the back of a police car. 

Florida isn't the only state with a school-to-prison pipeline. Meridian, Miss., for example, was sued by the U.S. Justice Department for incarcerating schoolchildren because they threw peanuts on a bus or violated the dress code. (Mississippi, by the way, just recently outlawed slavery.) And in Arizona, private prison employees are used in drug sweeps at high schools.

We wonder, though, about those Owls' games at FAU. What will happen when a player commits an infraction? Handcuffs? A quick trip to a detention center?

Today's Teamster News 02.16.13

Wal-Mart Executives Sweat Slow February Start in E-Mails  Bloomberg   ...Wal-Mart and discounters such as Family Dollar Stores Inc. are bracing for a rise in the payroll tax to take a bigger bite from the paychecks of shoppers already dealing with elevated unemployment...
Warren terrifies bankers  Politico   ...Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) generated serious fireworks in her first big Senate Banking Committee hearing, asking tough questions of regulators, repeatedly peppering them to identify the last time they brought a big Wall Street institution to trial rather than settling. There were no real answers...
Media campaign against windfarms funded by anonymous conservatives  The Guardian   ...Secretive funding network channelled millions to stop state governments moving towards renewable energy...
Big Corporations Put Up Seed Funding For Republican Dark Money Group  Pro Publica   ...Some of the nation's biggest corporations donated more than a million dollars to launch a Republican nonprofit that went on to play a key role in recent political fights...
Florida's prison privatization isn't paradise (opinion)  Hernando Today   ...when I think of privatizing prison health care, I visualize Robert Boggon — naked, strapped to a chair, alone and not realizing during his last few hours alive where he was...
No funds after '13 for right-to-work law hires  Detroit News   ..."I think it just goes to prove the point that we were making throughout that the appropriation was there for one purpose and one purpose only and that was to make the policy referendum-proof," said Whitmer, D-East Lansing...
Michigan man launches petition to change state Constitution  The Times-Herald   ... Detroit-area man plans to launch a petition drive to amend Michigan’s Constitution, aiming to close a loophole that allows laws — like right-to-work — to be immune from a repeal by voters...
Missouri proponents of right-to-work bills get set to strike in General Assembly  Kansas City Business Journal   ...Backers of right-to-work legislation in Missouri are confident they can strike down compulsory union membership by the end of the year...
Missouri voter photo ID requirement clears House  Kansas City Star   ...A renewed effort to force Missouri voters to show photo identification cleared the Republican-controlled House on Thursday, but its chances of swiftly advancing beyond that appeared uncertain after the GOP Senate leader said the issue isn't a top tier priority...
Legislature OKs Raise For State Employees  Associated Press   ... Tens of thousands of (Minnesota) state employees will soon get a 2 percent raise...
Secret organization infiltrated Montana Legislature  Hungry Horse News   ...Republican Reps. Scott Reichner and Mark Blasdel are attempting to influence the Montana House of Representatives in the 2013 session of the Montana Legislature by advancing model bills that have been crafted by ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council...
Minimum wage question goes to voters in November over Republican objections  Newark Star-Ledger   ...If voters approve the increase, the wage floor would rise from $7.25 an hour to $8.25. A yes vote would also amend the state constitution to trigger automatic cost-of-living increases every year...
Kane’s rejection of Corbett’s lottery plan sets off fireworks  philly.com   ...Her decision set off a scramble by the administration to find ways to salvage its first major attempt at privatizing state services. It also offered a glimpse of what life for Corbett could be like for much of the next two years...
Grover Norquist cautions Wisconsin's GOP lawmakers  The Cap Times   ...It is imperative that Wisconsin lawmakers continue to take proactive steps to keep the state competitive. A new tax on mining is something the state simply cannot afford."...

Today's Teamster News 02.02.13

As U.S. Growth Lags, Some Press the Fed to Do Still More  New York Times   ...In the five months since the Federal Reserve started a campaign to increase growth and reduce unemployment, the economy has slowed and unemployment has increased...
BP tried to manipulate gas market, alleges trader  The Guardian   ...BP faces new embarrassment in America with a court case brought by one of its former traders, who claims the company was trying to manipulate the natural gas liquids market...
Jobs report: why the recovery has stalled  Christian Science Monitor  ...employers added only 157,000 jobs in January...More jobs and faster growth should be the most important objectives now. Yet we’re moving in the opposite direction — following Europe’s sorry example of failed austerity economics...
Groundhog Day in the labor market  Economic Policy Institute  ...The labor market started out 2013 in a lackluster fashion, adding 157,000 jobs...It’s like we’re in Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day” – each month we wake up to the same report...
Foreclosures decline nationally in December Los Angeles Times  ...Foreclosures declined nationally in December...The sizable 19.5% decline in foreclosure inventory, accompanied by a similar drop in completed foreclosures, should help lay a path for a faster recovery in 2013...
Florida Governor Pushes Prison Work Release Privatization Plan  Forbes  ...Though Florida Governor Rick Scott has recently said he won’t privatize state prison operations...he recently recommended that 14 of the state’s publicly operated work release centers should also go to private contractors...
Eight plead guilty in Michigan right-to-work protest  Associated Press  ...Eight people have pleaded guilty to misdemeanors after being arrested inside the state Capitol building during a December protest against passage of Michigan’s right-to-work law...
Gov. Scott Walker transfers $40,000 to legal defense fund  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel  ...Gov. Scott Walker transferred $40,000 in campaign funds late last year to his legal fund set up to pay two high-priced criminal defense lawyers to represent him in the lengthy John Doe investigation...
Justice Department sues to block Anheuser-Busch InBev merger with Grupo Modelo  Washington Post  ...The Justice Department moved Thursday to block beer giant Anheuser-Busch InBev from merging with Mexico’s largest maker, Grupo Modelo, arguing the deal would threaten competition and raise prices for consumers. The $20.1 billion deal would have...added Grupo Modelo’s fast-growing Corona brand to AB InBev’s sizable portfolio...
Wal-Mart’s Union Complaint Shelved by U.S. Labor Board Bloomberg ...Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) won a 60-day hiatus from picketing at its U.S. stores in a settlement between a labor union and the world’s largest retailer...
Labor Board Refuses to Halt Strike by School Bus Drivers  New York Times  ...New York’s City’s two-week-old school bus strike will continue. On Friday, officials of the National Labor Relations Board...(rejected) a complaint brought by a coalition of 20 private bus companies, which argued that the strike was illegal...
Teamsters’ complaint accuses city of retaliation, harassment  Quad-City Times  ...The Teamsters union has filed a complaint against the city of Davenport, claiming its union steward in the Public Works Department was fired in retaliation for his union activities...It also claims the city and Public Works director Mike Clarke have harassed and retaliated against city employees for their union activity by refusing to accept grievances...

Today's Teamster News 01.10.13

Hilda Solis Resigns  Talking Points Memo   ...Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis is stepping down, having served since 2009...
Americans less healthy than others  AFP   ...Americans are in worse health, die earlier and suffer from more disease than residents of other wealthy nations, according to a new study out Wednesday...
Wal-Mart teams with UPS to fight Amazon  The Slant   ...Big-box giant offers same-day delivery to fend off e-commerce nemesis...
AIG Generously Decides Not To Sue The Country That Bailed It Out  zero hedge   ...American International Group Inc.'s directors decided Wednesday not to participate in a lawsuit that accuses the U.S. government of taking advantage of the company in its rescue from the financial crisis...
A dozen inmates from controversial work release facility sent back to prison  Tampa Bay Times   ...A dozen inmates living at a Goodwill-run work release center were sent back to prison this week after state authorities conducted a surprise security audit...
State ranked 42nd in job creation at midyear, census report shows  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ...The data, which covers the 12 months from June 2011 to June 2012, shows that Wisconsin's position worsened from a rank of 37 in the previous period from March 2011 to March 2012...
Horizon Air, Teamsters Ratify Six-Year Contract  Benzinga   ...Horizon Air and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced today that the carrier's 610 pilots ratified an agreement to extend the current contract for three years, creating a new six-year pact. Among pilots who voted, 77 percent approved ratification...
Teamsters Hail Fact-Finder's Report To End Concord Furloughs, Raise Pay  Local 856   ...City workers' union urges city council to take control of the process...

Today's Teamster News 12.19.12

Chained CPI Will Reduce Your Social Security Benefits  Economic Populist   ...There is a war on social security and America is losing the battle. One constant in the fiscal cliff negotiations is the agenda to cut your retirement benefits by a ruse, a lowering of the inflation adjustment...
A Bipartisan Nation of Beneficiaries  Pew Research Center   ...a majority of Americans (55%) have received government benefits from at least one of the six best-known federal entitlement programs...
Poor records hurt jobs agency  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ...Missing safeguards, staff turnover and shoddy bookkeeping within the state's flagship jobs agency led to delinquent loans going uncollected, financial deals being misstated or unrecorded, and credit card and other transactions getting no checks for fraud or errors, outside auditors have found...
Video shows girl, 15, battered in Florida juvenile prison  Miami Herald   ...A guard at a (private) Northwest Florida juvenile prison was jailed after a tape showed the abuse of a teen. Now she is back on the job...
Private prisons not saving us money – so why do we still have them?  Tucson Citizen   ... recent investigations by the Arizona Republic, the Associated Press and prison watchdog groups, the American Friends Service Committee and The Sentencing Project, have shown private prisons are actually costing taxpayers more money than if the government ran the prisons...
Teamsters Strongly Oppose Cuts To Social Security  IBT   ...Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa urged President Obama and Congress to reject any proposal to cut Social Security benefits by adopting the chained consumer price index ("chained CPI") to calculate cost-of-living adjustments...
Flight Dispatchers at Allegiant Air Vote to Join Teamsters  IBT   ...Flight dispatchers at Allegiant Air have voted to join Teamsters Local 986, the Teamsters Airline Division announced today. There are 21 dispatchers in the bargaining unit and the vote was 15 to 5...
Greenburgh Approves Budget, Settles Teamsters Contract  Greenburgh Daily Voice   ...the Town Board finally settled a contract with the Teamsters Union, which represents Greenburgh's Department of Public Works employees, who have been without a contract for several years...
Teamsters Overwhelmingly Approve Illinois Central Master Agreement  IBT   ...Teamsters Local 777 and Teamsters Local 179 members in Illinois have overwhelmingly approved the first-ever master agreement with Illinois Central School Bus, the fifth-largest provider of school bus transportation in the United States...
OLG and Teamsters make agreement  Blackburn News   ...An agreement has been reached in the labour dispute at Pt Edward Casino. Ontario Lottery and Gaming and the teamsters union have come to terms on a tentative contract agreement to end the lockout of 38 security officers...

New Fla. prison chief no fan of privatization

We hope not.

Good news for our Florida Department of Corrections officers: Gov. Rick Scott picked Mike Crews to head the state's prison system, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Our sources tell us this is a good development. Crews, the No. 2 corrections official, views prison privatization as inappropriate.

Our sources further tell us GEO Group, the Boca Raton-based private prison company, was pushing its own candidate for the job.

The Times reports:

Crews will succeed Ken Tucker, whose last retirement becomes official on Dec. 28. Crews, like Tucker, was a long-time official of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement before joining DOC. Crews will be Scott's third prisons chief in less than two years. The governor selected a highly-regarded former Indiana corrections director, Edwin Buss, who was forced out after eight months following clashes with the governor's office. Then came Tucker, who was more of a caretaker because he long ago planned to retire in March 2013 under the state's deferred retirement option program, known as DROP. 

Crews will take charge at a time when a state court has just dealt the agency a major setback by striking down the planned outsourcing of all inmate health care services in most of the state. The agency is appealing that decision.

Today's Teamster New 12.01.12

Study: American Households Hit 43-Year Low In Net Worth  CBS News   ...The median net worth of American households has dropped to a 43-year low as the lower and middle classes appear poorer and less stable than they have been since 1969.The median net worth of American households has dropped to a 43-year low as the lower and middle classes appear poorer and less stable than they have been since 1969...
Small union is causing big problems for ports  Los Angeles Times   ...The small band of strikers that has effectively shut down the nation's busiest shipping complex forced two huge cargo ships to head for other ports Thursday and kept at least three others away, hobbling an economic powerhouse in Southern California.
Right-to-work struggle: GOP can't find consensus; unions get twitchy  MLive   ...Michigan Republicans are having a tough time finding consensus on whether to pursue a right-to-work law. And that’s why no action was taken on the touchy subject during the first week of the state Legislature’s year-end session...
Florida judge questions state prison privitzation plan  Associated Press   ...Circuit Judge John Cooper did not immediately rule but promised a quick decision after the second of two hearings in the case. The $58 million outsourcing plan is being challenged by two unions representing many of some 3,000 prison health care employees who stand to lose their jobs...
Walkergate: Four down, one to go, ? Pending  Cognitive Dissdence   ...buckle up your seatbelts and get a good grip on your popcorn. This ride ain't anywhere close to being over...
WEDC hires outside help after losing track of millions of dollars in loans  Wisconsin State Journal   ...The state's top jobs agency said Friday that it has hired a financial institution and an accounting company to review its financial practices after it failed to track loans totaling about $12 million....
Teamsters get representation approval  Merced Sun-Star   ...The Merced County Board of Supervisors has approved the registration of Teamsters Local No. 856 as an employee organization for the county's correctional officers and security system workers...

Today's Teamster News 11.20.12

House passes Russia trade bill. But will we benefit?  Trade Reform   ...For those of you who remember the 1999 debate of permanent normalized trade relations with China, as part of their entry into the WTO, all the predictions of U.S. economic benefit were drastically and painfully wrong...
Catalonia is voting on its future in Spain – and Madrid is worried  Guardian   ...Spain is suffering its most agonising economic decline in decades. Catalonia has not been spared. But it still claims it subsidises the rest of Spain to the tune of €16bn a year...
Wal-Mart warns workers on Black Friday strike  CNNMoney   ...Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500) has filed a complaint with a federal agency accusing one of the largest labor unions in the country of unlawfully organizing picket lines, in-store "flash mobs" and other demonstrations in the past six months...
Fla. judge skeptical about prison privatization  Associated Press   ...A skeptical judge on Monday raised questions about whether it was legal for the state to move ahead with a plan to privatize nearly 3,000 health care jobs in Florida's prisons...
Proposed park in Merrillville would honor area unions  NWI Times   ...Town Councilwoman Carol Miano said the facility won't include playground equipment. Instead, it would be a place for reflection. She said she will contact local unions to seek their participation in creating the facility...
Is Gov. Walker the target of John Doe?  WTDY   ... For the first time, prosecutors directly linked the John Doe investigation to Gov. Walker...
A Public Service Reminder: Paul Ryan is a Con Man (opinion)  New York Times   ...Ryan did his best to impersonate a budget wonk. It wasn’t a very good impersonation — in fact, he’s pretty bad at budget math...
Bakers union must be allowed to vote on concessions to keep Hostess in business (opinion)  New York Daily News   ...(Bakers Union President Frank) Hurt should at least have his people vote in secret on a deal similar to the Teamsters’ pact. The Teamsters are asking for that courtesy, and they should get it with all these jobs on the line...
Exclusive: Sun Capital wants to buy Hostess  Fortune   ...The proposal would be to operate Hostess as a going concern, including reopening the shuttered factories and continuing union representation of Hostess workers...

Today's Teamster News 09.16.12

Revolution From Above (opinion)  Paul Craig Roberts   ...Most americans cannot pay for fighting multi-trillion dollar wars for 11 years, bailout trillions of dollars in uncovered casino bets by Wall Street, have their middle class jobs sent abroad by corporations, and still expect to have higher personal incomes...
Large Anti-Austerity Protests in Spain, Portugal  Associated Press   ...The conservative government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has introduced stinging cuts and raised taxes in a bid to reduce the deficit and to reassure investors and officials from the 17-nation eurozone...
Union sues after Florida legislative panel approves privatization of prison health care  The Republic   ...Two Florida unions are suing after lawmakers decided to move ahead with a plan to privatize nearly 3,000 jobs in the state's prisons...
GOP trickster Roger Stone says Koch Brothers paid $100m to get Paul Ryan on the ticket  NYAltNews   ...The billionaires, according to Stone, promised to shell out an extra $100 million toward “independent expenditure” campaigning for the GOP ticket to get their preferred candidate on the ballot...
Capitol Crackdown Sends Disabled Veteran to Hospital, Another Activist to Jail  Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative   ...The Capitol police crackdown on free speech continued today as two more people were arrested leaving the building after a spontaneous gathering in the rotunda...
Coca-Cola fighting union battle in Fort Worth  Fort Worth Star-Telegram   ...The Coca-Cola Co. is opening all the spigots to keep the corporate-owned Fort Worth bottling plant from becoming its only unionized facility in the South. If a majority of voting employees cast ballots to join Teamsters Local 997 on Wednesday, it could flag an important victory by organized labor over the soft drinks giant. Some 427 workers would be covered...

Today's Teamster News 07.02.12

Former IRS Official Demands Investigation of ALEC  Roll Call   ..."ALEC has deliberately and repeatedly failed to comply with some of the most fundamental federal tax requirements applicable to public charities,” he wrote. "The information in this submission also suggests, quite strongly, that the conduct of ALEC and certain of its representatives violates other civil and criminal tax laws and may violate other federal and state criminal statutes as well."...
Analysis: Jumping off the fiscal cliff  Reuters   ...Members of Congress from both parties are increasingly mulling the unthinkable: going home in December without acting to avoid the $4 trillion in tax hikes and deep spending cuts known as the fiscal cliff...
Big Banks Have Criminally Conspired Since 2005 to Rig $800 Trillion Dollar Market  zero hedge   ...Barclays and other large banks – including Citigroup, HSBC, J.P. Morgan Chase, Lloyds, Bank of America, UBS, Royal Bank of Scotland – manipulated the world’s primary interest rate (Libor) which virtually every adjustable-rate investment globally is pegged to...
America's Jaw-Dropping Shale Gas Boom Is Starting To Slow Down  Business Insider   ...the growth rate in shale gas production has gone geometric. However, things are showing signs of slowing down...
Gov. Rick Scott presses for prison privatization  Miami Herald   ...The prison system says it has the authority under state law, but the Teamsters Union that represents state correctional officers is threatening a lawsuit...
Tensions Run High in Teamster Communications with City Leaders  Lamorinda Weekly   ...The Orinda City Council and City managers have been receiving an earful from employees and their union representatives since deciding to reorganize several departments...

Today's Teamster News 06.01.12

38th consecutive night demo peaceful but illegal  Montreal Gazette   ...it began just hours after talks between the government and student associations collapsed. The nighttime demonstration drew a crowd of several thousand and got off to its usual start at 8 p.m. with the sound of pots and pans echoing through Place Émilie-Gamelin...
Federal Officials Shut Down 26 Bus Operators  New York Times   ...Citing imminent safety hazards, federal officials ordered 26 companies on Thursday to stop operating many of the inexpensive buses that pick up passengers at curbsides all over Manhattan’s Chinatown and haul them to other cities up and down the East Coast...
Justice Department Demands Florida Stop Purging Voter Rolls  Talking Points Memo   ...The Justice Department sent a letter to Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner Thursday evening demanding the state cease purging its voting rolls because the process it is using has not been cleared under the Voting Rights Act, TPM has learned...
Walker's office stonewalled DA inquiry, record shows  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ...Milwaukee County prosecutors opened the secret John Doe criminal investigation more than two years ago after being stonewalled by Gov. Scott Walker's office when he was county executive, according to a newly released record...
Fla. prison health care privatization challenged  Associated Press   ...Lawyers for public employee unions and a pair of nurses urged a judge Wednesday to block a plan for privatizing health care in Florida's prisons...
CP Rail Workers Return to Jobs as Strike Law Passes  Bloomberg Businessweek   ...Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.’s (CP) striking Teamsters workers are returning to their jobs today after Parliament passed a bill to end the weeklong labor action that snarled industry supply chains and seaport traffic...
The Lockout Is Over: Sotheby’s Finally Resolves Dispute With Its Union Art Handlers  Blouin Art Info   ...All the union-sympathizing auction lovers out there can rejoice — after a 10-month-long lockout of the union art handlers at Sotheby’s New York, the auction house management finally came to an agreement with the Teamsters Local 814, which represents 42 art handlers, according to Crain’s New York...

Woo-hoo! Prison privatization fails in FL!!

FDOC Teamsters are celebrating tonight, as the Senate voted 19-21 to kill the sweeping prison privatization plan that would have cost thousands of jobs.

We'll just let the press release do the talking:

Florida correctional officers today praised the Senate today for voting down a bill that would have privatized more than two dozen prisons.

The Senate vote of 19-21 killed the legislation. Yesterday, Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, introduced an amendment to turn the privatization bill into a study, which would have effectively killed it. That amendment failed by a vote of 21-19.

“Florida Department of Corrections officers are extremely thankful to the senators who stood up for us,” said Brian Cliffint, a sergeant at New River Correctional Institution. “The privatization proposal would have put thousands of FDOC employees out of work and seriously harmed our communities and our families.”

Cliffint was among the dozens of Teamsters who traveled to Tallahassee today to lobby against the bill. Over the past few weeks, hundreds of correctional officers have visited the Capitol to oppose plans to privatize 27 correctional facilities and work camps and to close 11.

“We are so grateful that a bipartisan Senate majority decided against this damaging legislation,” said Ken Wood, Acting President of Teamster Local 2011, which represents 20,000 Florida Department of Corrections officers. “They supported hard-working corrections officers and their communities, and they protected Florida taxpayers from spending billions on secret contracts with no public oversight.

“The Teamsters are still fighting hard against unnecessary closures of correctional facilities and work camps, but for now, we’re very pleased with the Senate’s action,” Wood said.

Make-or-break FL prison privatization vote today

Teamster FDOC correctional officers at a Capitol news conference today.

This afternoon, Florida's Senate is expected to vote on a massive prison privatization proposal that will cost 3,800 jobs in order to save less than 1 percent of the state's corrections budget. Oh, and it will make a private prison company richer.

Yesterday, a Republican Senator introduced an amendment to turn the privatization bill into a study. That would have effectively killed the bill. The amendment was narrowly defeated by one vote.

We may be defeated in a tie, but nothing is certain. Today, Teamsters, union allies and friends in the communiy are flooding the Senate with calls to oppose this horrible bill. Two dozen Teamster correctional officers are at the Capitol now, urging their state senators to vote for safety, jobs and fairness and against the privatization bill.  In the photo above, Bill Curtis, a correctional officer at Charlotte Correctional Institute, speaks at a news conference held by Sen. Maria Sachs, an opponent of the bill.

Here's the kind of crap the opposition is pulling: Last week, a group called "South Florida Prison Ministries," and the Florida Chamber of Commerce put out a statement supporting prison privatization. The Private Corrections Institute exposed them today:

Claudio Perez, the CEO of South Florida Jail Ministries, in an op-ed and a letter delivered to the Florida Senate, expressed his support for the privatization plan...the same lobbyist that formerly represented South Florida Jail Ministries, and currently lobbies for the partner organization of another of Perez’s groups, is a paid lobbyist for GEO Group. (Ed: GEO Group is a private prison company that stands to benefit from the bill.)

And this:

...some of the sources mentioned by the Senate Rules Committee in support of cost savings through prison privatization had undisclosed biases. For example, the Committee cited research by the Reason Foundation, but failed to note that Reason receives funding from private prison companies, including GEO Group and CCA. Reason’s 2009 donor list included GEO as a Platinum Level supporter while CCA was a Gold Level donor.

Nice, hunh?

We'll keep you posted.

Today's Teamster News 02.14.12

Senate sets stage for do-or-die vote on South Florida prison privatization  Orlando Sentinel   ...Florida lawmakers are set to vote on a massive prison privatization plan for South Florida in what will likely be an emotionally fraught debate and a severe test of Senate President Mike Haridopolos' leadership...
State spends millions for 202 new jobs  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   ...A state-subsidized investment program yielded huge returns for three out-of-state financial firms and their partners while netting just 202 new jobs for Wisconsin, at a cost of more than $247,000 per job...
French Elections Potentially More Momentous Then Greek Vote  credit writedowns   ...Polls suggest that in the first round of balloting in late April, Sarkozy is trailing his Socialist challenger Hollande 31%-24.5%. Marina Le Pen’s candidacy appears sufficiently strong to deny either candidate a majority in the first round...
A key driver of a US recovery  Macrobusiness   ...Over the course of 2011, productivity growth slowed noticeably as the ‘easy’ gains from streamlining operations came to an end (and perhaps reflecting supply disruptions). Moreover, average weekly hours worked are almost back at pre-recession levels. As a result, firms have needed to take on extra employees to expand...
Armageddon at the Strip Mall  National Review   ...There’s going to be a lot of dark storefronts out there, with serious long-term consequences for nearby neighbors and for local real-estate markets: Foreclosures will put more property onto the market, driving down rents and subsequently making existing loans less tenable as the cashflow of commercial properties is diminished...
Red Cross workers possibly going on strike; blood drive canceled  NewsNet5   ...Local Red Cross workers may be hitting the picket line today, affecting about 250 union members in Northeast Ohio. The contract for union members, Teamsters Local 507, expired at 3 a.m. We have not heard of any agreement...

Today's Teamster News 02.13.12

Senate Takes Up Prison Privatization  NorthEscambia.com   ...Today, the Florida Senate will take up or down votes on pending amendments, and try to get a bill on privatizing prisons in most of South of Florida ready for a floor vote...
David Koch's Non-Profit Flouts Law And Spends $700,000 Against Wisconsin Recall  Alternet   ...The Koch-founded Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFP), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit "charity" prohibited from intervening in political campaigns, is spending $700,000 on ads and holding events around Wisconsin that look like appeals to re-elect Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who is facing a recall election...
Trader Joe's Signs Fair Food Agreement On Tomatoes With Immokalee Workers  Huffington Post   ...The agreement requires the grocery store to pay a penny more per pound of tomatoes and to ensure better working conditions for tomato workers...
Greece MPs pass austerity plan amid violent protests  BBC   ...Greek MPs have approved a controversial package of austerity measures, demanded by the eurozone and IMF in return for a 130bn euro ($170bn; £110bn) bailout...
Break Up the Banks? Here’s an Alternative (opinion)  New York Times   ...If a shareholder invests a dollar in a big bank, why not make that shareholder liable for the first $1.50 — or more — of losses as insolvency approaches?...
Teamsters file improper practice against SCCC for asbestos removal  Mid-Hudson News   ...Union business agent Sandra Shaddock said 10 union employees may have been subject to asbestos while removing floor tiles from buildings at the Loch Sheldrake school...

Today's Teamster News 02.12.12

Legislature at midterm: several splits emerge (opinion)  Bradenton Herald   ...Senate President Mike Haridopolos, Gov. Scott and others continue to push hard for privatization of 27 prisons, but legislation ran into a roadblock when other GOP lawmakers contested the figures on potential savings. The millions of dollars in campaign contributions from for-profit prison companies appear wasted this year as Senate passage looks shaky with a split vote. However, Haridopolos is forging ahead with a vote this week...
Unions expect right-to-work will cost them members  Associated Press   ...How many members decide to become "free riders," as non-dues payers are called, will determine whether the passage of the right-to-work law here turns out to be a mostly symbolic setback for organized labor or a grave financial and political blow...
Seattle port truckers on strike  Workers World   ...Drivers told Workers World that the strike, now a week old, has grown from 120 workers to 500 or 600. What started at four or five companies now affects a dozen, they said...
Secret Conservative Report Reveals Scott Walker as a Dire Fiscal Failure  politicus.usa   ...today we find out that not only did Walker leave Milwaukee in such dire straights that it should have filed for bankruptcy (perhaps this is why Walker took all of the files and even computers from the office when he left?) after increasing spending by 35%, but the people suffered as well, with annual income drops continuing to plummet under Walker during his entire eight year tenure...
Fewest Young Adults in 60 Years Have Jobs  Time   ...only 54.3% of young adults aged 18 to 24 have a job...
Union Pacific plans billions in infrastructure investment  Wichita Eagle   ...The Omaha-based company said it expects to add between 4,000 and 4,500 workers in 2012, depending on the performance of the economy. It also said it would spend $3.6 billion on infrastructure this year, which would be a record amount. Between 2000 and 2011 the company spent $31 billion...

Today's Teamster News 02.08.12

Florida prison privatization stalls in legislature  Reuters   ...A proposal to privatize at least 26 prisons in south Florida is facing stiff opposition in the Florida Senate and may not have the votes to pass, the chamber's president and chief backer said on Tuesday...
Labor says 'right-to-work' impact too soon to gauge  NWI Times   ...The Indiana Department of Labor will promulgate rules within the next six months pertaining to right-to-work, said agency spokesman Robert Dittmer. However, he said if a situation required rules to be developed on an emergency basis, the Department of Labor has the ability to do so...
Arizona’s vicious war on workers  Alternet   ...Gov. Jan Brewer is pushing a radical anti-union bill that makes Wisconsin's law look lax...
Occupy D.C. to protest CPAC  Politico   ...The Occupy Wall Street movement in Washington announced on Tuesday, just days before the three-day Conservative Political Action Conference is set to kick off on Thursday, that it is planning to send a clear message to the “gathering of bigots, media mouthpieces, corrupt politicians and their one percent elite puppet masters...”
Bernanke Says 8.3% Unemployment Understates Weakness in U.S. Labor Market  Bloomberg   ...“There are also a lot of people who are either out of the labor force because they don’t think they can find work” or in part- time jobs...
What would happen if the value of the dollar were lowered?  Manufacture This   ...Baker predicts that a lower dollar could lead to an increase in output by the U.S. manufacturing sector of more than 40 percent, resulting in the creation of millions of new manufacturing jobs...

Today's Teamster News 02.07.12

Gov. Walker says DA requested talks on John Doe probe  Associated Press   ...Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says he voluntarily agreed to the Milwaukee County district attorney's request to meet with him about a secret investigation that so far has led to charges against five of Walker's former close aides and associates...
Critics right: No evidence to support privatizing state prisons  (opinion)  Palm Beach Post   ...This plan, believed to be the largest prison privatization in U.S. history, is being rushed through without nearly the amount of study an overhaul of this magnitude merits...
Company Faces Forgery Charges in Mo. Foreclosures  New York Times   ...One of the largest companies that provided home foreclosure services to lenders across the nation, DocX, has been indicted on forgery charges by a Missouri grand jury — one of the few criminal actions to follow reports of widespread improprieties against homeowners...
For Sale: AIG's Subprime Bonds  Wall Street Journal   ...Five Wall Street banks have been invited to bid this week for another multibillion-dollar bundle of risky mortgage bonds held by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as a result of its 2008 rescue of American International Group Inc....
Greek protesters, police clash outside Parliament  Associated Press   ...Riot police fired tear gas to repel hundreds of anti-austerity protesters trying to break a cordon outside Parliament, but no arrests or injuries were reported and the clashes quickly subsided...
Danbury Moves Away from Traditional Pension Plans  Danbury Patch   ...The city's Teamster Union agreed to take raises of 0 percent, 2.25 percent, 2.75 percent and 2.75 percent for the contract it radified through July 1, 2015...