Teamsters Protest In Support of FDOC Officers at Privatization Conference

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International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Jun 24, 2011, 11:34 ET

Privatization Will Cost Thousands of Jobs, Jeopardize Public Safety

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 24, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Teamster members rallied today in support of Florida Department of Corrections officers outside the Government Services Privatization Conference, where elected state and local government leaders and the privatization industry came together to identify privatization opportunities in the state.

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"We're here today to let our elected officials know that privatization is wrong for Florida. As correctional officers, we know what dangerous criminals are capable of. We work hard to keep the public safe, and putting the public's security in the hands of companies looking to make a big profit is wrong," said William C.F. Muse, a retired FDOC Colonel.

Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida legislature recently passed a state budget that allows the state to privatize prisons in 18 counties. This measure has the potential to eliminate 4,300 correctional officer jobs with the FDOC, the third largest prison system in the nation.

"Florida will make a serious mistake if it prioritizes corporate profits over people and public safety by going through with this privatization plan," said Ken Wood, Teamsters International Vice President and President of Joint Council 75. "Florida has the fourth highest unemployment rate in the nation. Our legislators should be working to create jobs, not eliminating them. They should be supporting a strong middle class, not looking for further opportunities to sell our vital state services to the lowest bidder."

Teamsters are uniting around the country to stop anti-worker legislation and fight back against the coordinated war on workers. For more information, visit: www.teamster.org or www.stopthewaronworkers.org, visit TeamsterNation on Twitter and join the official Teamsters group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-the-War-on-Workers.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters