Unions representing public employees today find themselves scrambling to counter private companies' claims that privatization saves money and improves services. Unions also know that the best weapon in this battle is good, solid data showing the real cost of contracting out and the value of keeping public services in the public sector.

Getting the facts quickly and accurately is a lot easier now, thanks to a privatization costing software program developed by the University of Wisconsin School for Workers in conjunction with Federation of Public Employees, the Wisconsin Federation of Teachers and the Wisconsin Professional Employees Council. Locals are now better able to gather accurate financial data to work collaboratively with management on improving public services--and protecting members from ill-advised attempts to contract out or privatize their work.

In North Dakota recently, plans were announced to contract out the work of county home health care employees represented by the North Dakota Public Employees Association (NDPEA). Though the county eventually shelved its privatization plan, NDPEA treasurer Gary Feist, who has since been trained to use the costing software, says the FPE affiliate is now better prepared to counter future efforts to privatize public services.

The software program "will enable us to generate a detailed financial analysis that will help us show that public employees can more than compete with the private sector when it comes to cutting costs and improving the quality of services," Feist says.