UPDATE! In the name of fiscal responsibility, OCSEA worked with Ohio legislative leaders on both sides of the political aisle to counter a private prison amendment that was slipped into lame duck legislation at the last minute. The amendment would have changed current law, which requires Ohio private prison corporations to save at least 5 percent over the cost of state-run prisons. OCSEA said the last-minute attempt would have given for-profit prison CEOs a blank check and would have violated the OCSEA collective bargaining agreement. As of this writing, private prisons will still be required to prove that they are more cost effective than a state-run prison.
Legislators give private prisons a “blank check”
Posted Nov. 30, 2016
Private prison lobbyists are at it again. During the lame duck session at the Ohio Statehouse on Nov. 30 an amendment was slipped into an unrelated bill (House Bill 185) that would eliminate the 5 percent savings restriction for private prisons in Ohio and allow private prisons to house out-of-state inmates.
Current law requires Ohio private prisons to save 5 percent over the cost of state-run prisons. While the union strongly believes the savings reported by private prisons is likely bogus and that non-disclosure laws allow private prisons to hide their profits and CEO pay, the 5 percent savings threshold is at least a check and balance to run-away corporate profits.
Additionally, eliminating the 5 percent savings threshold could run counter to OCSEA’s collective bargaining agreement that allows OCSEA to bid against private prisons and other privateers when their contracts are up for renewal.
OCSEA has bid against numerous vendors in the past in an effort to return work to state-operation or to avoid privatization altogether. Several years ago, OCSEA was able to get back food service from several prisons, after a disastrous takeover by a private food service vendor. OCSEA also unsuccessfully bid on the current food service contract for DR&C, but was successful several years ago at a bid to keep food service in-house at the 10 state-operated Developmental Centers.
"Eliminating these safe guards and allowing private prisons to make as much profit as they want, is like writing corporate America a blank check,” said OCSEA President Chris Mabe. “If this election taught us anything, it taught us that Ohioans are sick of business as usual and handouts to corporations, like private prison companies.”
OCSEA activists in DR&C are working with Senators on both sides of the aisle to try to get an amendment introduced to pull the language on the Senate side. It’s expected the bill will move to a conference committee of both House and Senate members after that. Please stay tuned for actions activists can take as the amendment moves through the lame duck process.