FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 07, 2006
July 07, 2006
Enid Doggett
(202) 639-6419
(202) 639-6419
AFGE Helps Stop Privatization Review of Corps of Engineers' Locks and Dams Personnel
WASHINGTON - The American Federation of Government Employees today praised bi-partisan efforts to kill legislation that would have provided funding for a privatization study of the Army Corps of Engineers Locks and Dams Personnel. AFGE led the fight against the legislation working closely with the National Federation of Federal Employees, the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
“House and Senate Appropriators are to be commended for their strong, bipartisan opposition to a Corps of Engineers scheme to review for privatization the thousands of reliable and experienced federal employees who maintain and operate the nation’s locks and dams at approximately 200 facilities,” said AFGE National President John Gage.
The House FY2007 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, which has passed the House, included this strong legislative language in Section 107: “None of the funds provided in this Act may be used to implement an A-76 study or similar privatization process for Corps personnel employed to operate or maintain locks and dams.”
The Senate Appropriations Committee, on June 29, marked up its own version of the funding measure and included in report language: “Millions of dollars have been spent over the last several years on an initiative to contract out Government jobs in order to make the Government more efficient. However, in more than 70 percent of the cases Government employees win the competition for their jobs. The Committee fails to see any evidence of cost savings or increased efficiency by undergoing these expensive competitions. Therefore, the Committee directs that no funds provided in this account or otherwise available for expenditure shall be used to comply with the competitive sourcing initiative.”
“House and Senate Appropriators are to be commended for their strong, bipartisan opposition to a Corps of Engineers scheme to review for privatization the thousands of reliable and experienced federal employees who maintain and operate the nation’s locks and dams at approximately 200 facilities,” said AFGE National President John Gage.
The House FY2007 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, which has passed the House, included this strong legislative language in Section 107: “None of the funds provided in this Act may be used to implement an A-76 study or similar privatization process for Corps personnel employed to operate or maintain locks and dams.”
The Senate Appropriations Committee, on June 29, marked up its own version of the funding measure and included in report language: “Millions of dollars have been spent over the last several years on an initiative to contract out Government jobs in order to make the Government more efficient. However, in more than 70 percent of the cases Government employees win the competition for their jobs. The Committee fails to see any evidence of cost savings or increased efficiency by undergoing these expensive competitions. Therefore, the Committee directs that no funds provided in this account or otherwise available for expenditure shall be used to comply with the competitive sourcing initiative.”
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