Important Voices That Should Be Heard : * County Employee Groups Were Left Out of Talks on Shifting Jobs to Private Sector

Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gaddi H. Vasquez should certainly be commended for searching for new ways to cut county costs. But Vasquez miscalculated when he decided not to include employee groups in a task force he formed to study what county services might be run more economically by private business. Public employee unions, which represent about 16,000 county workers, could provide valuable information to the task force. Their participation also is vital to the success of any recommendations made to the board.

The 20-member task force, which met for the first time Wednesday, is composed of local business leaders and top county officials. In preparation for the meeting, county members came up with a list of services that possibly could be turned over to the private sector. On the list are items--such as $11.8 million for custodial and landscaping services at the Civic Center in Santa Ana and $22,055 for inspecting county bridges--that county staff says will not run into legal restrictions, significant administrative costs or employee opposition. Also on the list are items that could prove more problematical, such as $6.2 million for harbor patrols and $2.1 million for alcohol outpatient clinics.

A thorough review of all programs is essential because the county is facing the dismal prospect of a shortfall that is estimated at $65.3 million this year.

Vasquez says that he didn’t include employee groups in the task force because it was aimed at drafting a set of preliminary recommendations that would then be taken up with the Board of Supervisors. He said there would be “ample time and opportunity for employee organizations to be consulted.”

But that’s asking for trouble. Employee group reaction to private contracting in general may well be predictable; these unions, after all, exist to protect employees, who could be subject to layoffs if private firms are hired to fill the jobs that they have been doing. But leaving unions out of early discussions could deprive the task force of important information about county services, information that could alter its recommendations. It also unnecessarily sets up an “us” and “them” mentality that could undermine later negotiations with employees.

It is too early to tell whether private contracting is a good idea for Orange County and, if so, what services might make good candidates for it. But employee groups should be invited into the discussion.