by Shawna Rorem
(Salem, OR) About 50 people protested Tuesday morning at the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, where a conference about privatizing government services was taking place. The protesters gathered about 7:30 a.m. outside the chamber offices at 1110 Commercial St. The Portland-based Cascade Policy Institute was holding the conference.
"Privatization can save money and improve services", said featured speaker Robin Johnson, who has implemented similar policies in Monmouth, Ill. The protesters countered that privatization only moves local money to out-of-town contractors. Protesters included members of Mid-Willamette Jobs with Justice; Marion Polk Yamhill Central Labor Council; Service Employees International Union Local 503; American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 2067; the Pacific Green Party and the Agenda for a Livable Salem.
Kurt Weber, vice president of the Cascade Policy Institute, defended privatization. "This notion of the shifting of money to far off places isn't necessarily correct," he said. "You still have the local truck drivers, the local mechanics, the jobs could go to local contractors. And saving money means money in your pocket to spend on clothes and going out to dinner at a restaurant. If we're paying higher prices for services, that's stunting economic growth. The more money I have to spend on something, the less I have to spend on something else."
The protesters dismissed the institute's comments as a way of legitimizing the idea of moving public resources into private pockets.
"We are very concerned that these two groups are trying to sell privatization to our community," said Jim Cook, a member of Jobs with Justice. "Privatization often works against the public's favor because it's very difficult to hold corporations accountable."
Mike McLaran, executive director of the chamber, said privatization is a complex issue that is worthy of discussion. "There were no predetermined issues going into the workshop," he said. "It may be a tool to create more efficiency, and there's nothing wrong with those discussions. It's amazing that people would spend time and energy protesting those discussions."
The group also was protesting the chamber's opposition to a proposal that Salem institute a "livable wage" ordinance. A livable wage is defined as that which allows families to meet their basic needs without resorting to public assistance. In Oregon, supporters say that's about $11.05 an hour for a single adult and $17.95 an hour for an adult with two children.
The chamber opposes the proposal. "The chamber stands in favor of a worker's right to set a living wage by moving to the best paying job they can get," he said. "We support the efforts of business and the entire community to provide training and education to help workers attain higher wages and the reasonable ambitions of employees who want to better themselves."
Source: August 1 issue of the Statesman Journal (Salem, OR)
