St Paul, MN – 1000 public employees and supporters rallied at City Hall, August 25, to oppose Mayor Coleman's “Compete St. Paul” privatization plan. This scheme is designed to turn over taxpayer money to private companies, allowing them to profit from providing city services.

“We are supposed to accept that it will save money, as city services are put out to bid one-by-one. It will undermine quality, accessibility and accountability,” said Char Knutson of St. Paul Works, a coalition of labor unions and community groups opposed to Coleman's plan.

At the rally sponsored by St. Paul Work's, speaker after speaker echoed the theme that “competition” means the selling-off of city services. It was pointed out that if responsibility for city services is turned over to private companies, the city has no way to guarantee effective services to the people of St. Paul.

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“This is also a fight for a living wage,” said State Representative Sandy Pappas. Labor leaders noted that St. Paul should take pride in its employees who do quality work, and the city's living wage public jobs should be protected.

After the rally, workers went upstairs to City Council chambers, for a hearing on an ordinance that would limit Coleman's proposal. The hearing room and the hallway outside of council chambers were packed with hundreds of people. One council member said this was the largest attendance they had ever had for a hearing on an ordinance. Vice Mayor Susan Kimberly took the podium to defend the mayor's proposal; when she contended that city workers are overpaid for their work, she drew jeers from the crowd. Since taking office, Mayor Colemen has repeatedly bashed public workers and has gained a reputation as a tool of downtown business interests.

The city council was to vote on the ordinance on September 1. The council tabled the issue for thirty days in order to hold further negotiations with the mayor and the unions. Unfortunately, we have not heard the last of “Compete St. Paul.”

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