'Work that Matters' makes a difference

Thanks to the hard work of Montana’s MEA-MFT, the 2005 legislative session ended with significant and substantive results for state employees. Early in the session, the union, a merged state federation of the National Education Association and the AFT, secured pay raises for state employees (see April/May 2005 Public Employee Advocate).

In the closing weeks of the session, the union registered a second significant accomplishment: passage of legislation that will result in greater transparency and accountability in state contracting procedures.

“We really focused on talking about this as a good government bill,” says Terry Minow, legislative director of MEA-MFT, about legislation the union initiated to curb contracting out of public services.

MEA-MFT’s lobbying strategy worked. Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer signed the bill (SB 299) into law April 19.The new law gives the sitting governor sole authority for approving or rejecting plans to privatize public services that are “currently or normally conducted” by state employees. It requires agencies to release their privatization plans, which must include an impact statement on current employees, to the public, all unions that represent state employees and to the legislative audit committee 180 days prior to the proposed implementation date. The legislative audit committee’s role is “advisory only.”

“We get to be part of the process in a fairly significant way,” says Feaver. “I don’t think this would have happened had we not set the stage with ‘Work That Matters’ to publicize quality public services and to make the case for protecting quality state services.”

‘Work That Matters’ is the union’s public relations campaign to heighten public awareness of the essential work performed by state employees on behalf of Montana’s citizens. The campaign, which was launched in 2003 and continues today, is the union’s direct response to legislative initiatives that would erode quality public services through a variety of means, including inadequate funding for programs to privatization of public services.

“We’re so pleased that Gov. Schweitzer and the Legislature recognize the importance of protecting quality state services,” says Minow. “Our ‘Work That Matters’ public relations campaign and state employee mobilizing efforts are paying off, not just in state pay issues, but in bills like this one. It was a great legislative session for state employees.” 

MEA-MFT represents 16,000 public employees, including state, county and municipal workers, public school teachers, public school support staff and higher education faculty. Nearly 4,000 of those represented are state employees working in more than a dozen executive branch departments and agencies and the university system.

Passage of legislation geared toward curbing the privatization of public services, often referred to as “clean contracting” bills, is one of AFT Public Employees’ 2005 legislative priorities. Clean contracting legislation is pending in a number of states, including Connecticut, New York and Wisconsin, thanks to lobbying efforts of AFT locals in those states.