Public Employee Press

White Papers get results
State Senate investigates contracting

By GREGORY N. HEIRES

DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts told the State Senate that New York City wastes millions of dollars by hiring consultants for work that should be done by civil servants.

She described the union’s “White Paper” campaign to expose the waste at an Oct. 15 hearing before the Senate Labor Committee. Called by Committee Chair Guy J. Velella, the hearing examined the impact of outsourcing on unions, municipalities and businesses.

The committee inquiry showed that the union’s White Paper campaign had pushed questions about contracting out high on the political agenda.

Since 2002, DC 37 has released four studies that document how the city contracting out has built a “shadow government” staffed by a “parallel workforce” of 100,000 workers outside civil service.

Under pressure from the union , the city has already eliminated some wasteful contracts and replaced consultants with city employees, Ms. Roberts testified.

The drive based on the White Papers has included lobbying, media outreach, investigations of agency procurement practices and lawsuits to thwart contracting out.

Roger Benson, president of the New York State Public Employees Federation, also testified. “With reports indicating that millions of dollars can be saved by hiring in-house employees, how can the state continue to throw money away on costly consultants and contractors in the face of projected deficits?” Mr. Benson said. He called for legislation requiring the state to do cost-benefit studies before contracting out the work of state employees.

DC 37 Associate Director Oliver Gray told the committee that the city uses out-of-state firms and even sends overseas work that could be done by civil servants. Tax dollars should be used instead to help the local and state economies, he said. The union team also included Henry Garrido, who has coordinated the White Paper work with Ms. Roberts and Mr. Gray.

Sen. Velella said the information provided by the unions should assist state legislators as they grapple with New York State’s looming $6 billion deficit next year. “You are a resource for us,” he told the DC 37 group.