Teamsters File Complaint Against Governor Rick Scott

Governor's Plan to Privatize Prisons Violates Ethics Rules

TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Teamsters Union filed a complaint this week with the Florida Commission on Ethics against Florida Governor Rick Scott for trying to force the privatization process of South Florida prisons using a tainted bidding process. The complaint, filed by Teamsters International Vice President Ken Wood, outlined how two of the country's largest prison privatization companies, Geo Group (GEO) and Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), have donated cash to Scott's inauguration fund.

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"The governor clearly has a conflict of interest with both CCA and GEO bidding to secure contracts for prison management," Wood said. "The complaint cites that Governor Scott should have already put the Secretary of the Department of Correction on notice that GEO and CCA should not be permitted to bid on state contracts to run prisons.

"Using either GEO or CCA to manage prisons doesn't make sense either financially or ethically for the state," Wood said. "We are urging the ethics commission to take action in this matter and find that the governor violated his responsibilities to the people of the state of Florida."

The Teamsters Union represents thousands of law enforcement officers in over 1,400 departments and agencies nationwide. The union is assisting 20,000 Florida Department of Corrections officers who are seeking aggressive union representation. For more information, please see the website http://fdocteamsters.org.

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. For more information, go to www.teamster.org.

SOURCE Teamsters Joint Council 75