About

AFSCME is the nation’s largest and fastest growing public services employees union with more than 1.6 million active and retired members. AFSCME’s members provide the vital services that make America happen. We are nurses, corrections officers, child care providers, EMTs, sanitation workers and more. With members in hundreds of different occupations, AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and prosperity and opportunity for all working families.

AFSCME is a union comprised of a diverse group of people who share a common commitment to public service. For us, serving the public is not just a job, it’s a calling. An important part of our mission is to advocate for the vital services that keep our families safe and make our communities strong. We also advocate for prosperity and opportunity for all of America’s working families. We not only stand for fairness at the bargaining table — we fight for fairness in our communities and in the halls of government.

 

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Guide: 10 questions to ask before any privatization deal

Privatization, the handing over of public goods and services to corporations, remains all the rage.

The promises are always oversold — we get cost overruns instead of cost savings, less transparency, and cut corners that impact services.

Asking the right questions is the first step to prioritizing public control and the common good and avoiding decisions that we’ll regret for years or, even, decades to come.

Here are 10 questions to ask before any privatization decision is made.

Download the Guide