USFS Cuts Maintenance and Operations to Pay For Job Privatization Study

[Boreas]

"The Forest Service is cutting some programs in order to divert the operating money to pay for unexpectedly expensive studies on what agency functions might be shifted to private companies...

The National Federation of Federal Employees, the federal employee labor union which opposes the Bush administration's privatization initiative, estimates the cost of the studies will reach $100 million, 10 times the initial projection of $10 million...

The administration is studying the potential savings to be had by allowing private firms to compete for as many as 10,000 of the Forest Service's 40,000 jobs...

In the Northern Rockies region, for example, $180,000 was taken from trail maintenance to complete a study. In Montana, campgrounds didn't open on schedule because maintenance money was diverted."

http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/080603/sta_forestservice.shtml

[disgruntella]

1. privatization - here, there, everywhere

Thanks for posting this.

Lots of other government union jobs are threatened too:
http://www.afge.org/Index.cfm?Page=Privatization

There's a tool on this site to print out posters with the actual number of threatened federal jobs for each state. Also letters for congressional representatives

[Karenina]

4. Privatize the profits

socialize the costs.

[mojowork_n]

2. Part of new National Park System plan

There was a great article on the same topic
on CommonDreams the other day. Visitors to
the National Parks are up by about 50%, over
a few years ago, but the budget is down 25%.

What's the solution? Cut the budget some more,
in favor of a pay-out to some rent-a-ranger
outfit that's more than likely owned and operated
by your brother-in-law, fellow lodge member, or
some other good republican...

commondreams

[newyawker99]

3. Hi mojowork_n!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast: