Quality

Consider process improvement as a vehicle to stop privatization

Another approach to making a government operation more efficient and cost effective as an alternative to contracting out is the “quality process”.  This concept (known by various names such as Total Quality Management, Quality Services through Partnership, Quality Circles, etc.) espouses that an operation is most efficient when it is managed by all the employees working together as a team. 

OCSEA can make a good argument that if a particular service is managed by rank-and-file employees who know the work best, as equal partners with management, it will improve greatly and be more cost effective. 

If the union decides to propose a quality approach as an alternative to contracting out, be sure to follow the guidelines QStP has established for such processes. 

The union must be an equal partner in a quality process, so the employer cannot use it as a means to bypass OCSEA in dealing with the employees. 

Proposing some way to keep a service public by one of these methods is the first step to take in fighting a proposal to contract it out.

See Related

OCSEA Quality Website