CLASSIFIED NEWS

• Register now for CCE annual conference Oct. 19-20
• Classified School Employee Week May 20-26
• Former CCE president featured in civil rights story
• Resource page on SB 1419
• Click here for sample contract language relating to classified provisions of the ESEA
• An overview of the CCE and its positions on crucial issues for classified employees

Defend SB 1419

Former CFT/CCE president Ernie Carson, left, thanks State Senator Richard Alarcon, author of SB 1419, for his legislative work on behalf of the classified employees of California, at CFT's Lobby Day 2004.

Why is SB 1419 important for classified employees?
This law, passed two years ago under the sponsorship of State Senator Richard Alarcon, protects school employees, the quality of educational services, and the public's right to efficient schools. It makes sure that if a district wishes to outsource services to a private vendor, it must demonstrate that there will be significant cost savings. SB 1419 says that:

• there must be a competitive bidding process for outside contracts
• the district must ensure that contracted employees are qualified to perform the job
• the district must show that real cost savings can be achieved before contracting out a service
• contract employees must be fingerprinted and receive background checks and TB tests
  
  

These standards minimize the risk of contract rate increases, of school safety and health problems, and ensure that school districts contract with legitimate companies, forbidding sweetheart deals and no-bid contracts.

SB1419 is under attack
Not surprisingly, the protections achieved for taxpayers, students, and classified employees by SB 1419 are under attack by large corporations eager to profit from privatized public school services. They are distorting what SB 1419 does so that they can repeal the law, remove protections against corporate plundering, and trade decent jobs with benefits for temporary contract employees who make less money and have no benefits. Unfortunately, some school administrators, looking for ways to ease their budget difficulties, are taking the bait. Looking for "flexibility" in hiring and firing, they have formed an alliance with corporations to gut safeguards for students and their families, and eliminate decent, living-wage jobs and benefits for school employees.

What can you do about it?
Educate yourself about the issue. Outsourcing or contracting out is appropriate when the expertise isn't available on campus, or when the need for work or services is short-term. It should never happen simply to make a profit for an outside corporation, at the expense of students, taxpayers, and long-term workers who live in the community.

Talk to your legislators about the issue. Bring a delegation from your school or college to your state legislator's local office. Let her or him know the importance of SB 1419 and the need to maintain quality services in public education and decent jobs in the community.

Hold an event on campus; show the new short video, False Economics 101: Contracting Out, to educate members, students, and the community about the issue. Contact your local news media and ask them to do a story on classified school employees, the unsung heroes of public education.

Resources

• Corporate Special Interest behind effort to repeal SB 1419
• Repeal attempt killed—for now (May 5)
• SB1419 bill summary
• Article on outsourcing from May, 2004 Community College Pespective
• AFT resources on privatization and contracting out
• CFT convention resolution defending SB 1419 (PDF)
• News coverage on SB 1419 campaign