CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) Staff Senate has issued an official statement in opposition of Governor Haslam’s plan to privatize facility management services at state institutions.
The governor told reporters after a Veterans Day event in Nashville on Tuesday that he wants to see what the final form of the outsourcing proposal looks like before deciding whether to bring it before lawmakers.
Haslam stresses that no decision has been made on whether to pursue privatization.
Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey supports transferring more maintenance work in state parks and on the campuses of public colleges to the private sector.
But the Blountville Republican has nonetheless urged the governor to seek “buy-in” from lawmakers by bringing any proposal to a vote in the Legislature.
Demonstrators turned out at the Tennessee Capitol last month to oppose any move toward privatization, wearing stickers that declared: “Tennessee is not for sale.”
The APSU Staff Senate’s statement is as follows:
“We are charged to advocate and support the interests of the 541 professional and support staff at Austin Peay State University.
With that in mind and on behalf of those individuals, we demand complete and total transparency regarding the ongoing discussion to possibly privatize facility management across institutions of higher education across Tennessee.
The potential estimated economic loss of $3 million and approximately 100 APSU employees’ income would be devastating to them, the University and the community of Clarksville.
Further, we are highly concerned about the very real and dangerous implications that are involved with this plan. Privatizing facility management would harm the livelihoods and careers of our fellow staff members, who also are our friends, peers, colleagues, neighbors and fellow proud residents of the great State of Tennessee. Austin Peay State University staff already accomplishes its mission, duties and objectives well below the published cost estimates of privatization.
We stand firmly behind our staff to continue bringing critical and meaningful work to our campus at an affordable cost to the state and ultimately, the taxpayer.
We will continue to closely monitor this process as it unfolds in Nashville, but we strongly urge Gov. Bill Haslam and our elected state representatives to remain cognizant of the people and families who reside in our fine state and their livelihoods when making these decisions, and what those decisions might do to the people who elected them to those positions.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.