Federal revisions threaten state employment service staff, pave way for more privatization

Jan. 17, 2007 - As one of its final actions of 2006, the U.S. Department of Labor published proposed revisions of the federal employment service regulations – and with that came yet another round of threats to the federally mandated civil service employment service providers who work in Ohio’s One-Stops.

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DOL has proposed rule changes that will allow for the privatization of state employment services at One-Stops. OCSEA members should be on high alert as this could impact nearly 250 ODJFS civil service employees who work in Ohio’s One-Stops.

Currently, employment service law (Wagner-Peyser) requires that these services be provided by civil service employees. Under the proposed revisions, it would be required that all employment service functions be provided in local One-Stop centers. Governors would be given the option of retaining state staff or handing over funding to the counties, many of which have handed over One-Stop duties to private contractors.

OCSEA members are encouraged to contact their members of Congress TODAY and ask that they contact DOL before Feb. 20 in opposition of recommendations to do away with civil service work in One-Stops.

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Let them know that civil service employees are highly skilled in these services and answer directly to Ohio tax payers. Replacing them with unqualified, unaccountable privateers would only hurt Ohio.

“Ohio’s Wagner-Peyser staff know this work like the back of their hands. It would be quite a debacle if this work is handed over to the private sector,” said ODJFS Assembly President Tommy Jones.

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