After experimenting with contracting out for the past four years the Calgary Public School Board has discovered that contracting out is MORE expensive then in house unionized staff. A report on contracting out was issued by the Calgary Public School in July. It proved once again that not only were contract cleaners more expensive (though the wage’s paid to these workers were less) but that there was a strong negative reaction to the turn over in staff by teaching staff and the public.

The report was a result of the latest round of contract negotiations between Local 40 and the Board.

Local 40 got a 5% wage increase and an agreement with the Board that the board would return contracted out schools to in house custodial staff as contracts with the private janitor firms expired.

The report produced for the Superintendent of Environmental Services indicates that the board is planning to immediately return cleaning operations in 17 schools, of the 34 contracted out, to CUPE Local 40 members.

This is the first public admission by the Board that contracting out has been a failure.

Board chairwoman Judy Tilston is quoted as saying she was shocked to see that a cost analysis done on the contracting out disproved the theory that privatization saves money or provides better services cheaper. Returning the 17 schools to in house unionized custodial staff will actually save the Board up to $750,000 in operating costs!

After the failure of contracting out in Edmonton Public Schools this is yet another nail in the coffin of the myth that quality public services can be provided cheaper and more efficiently by private companies.

Despite these defeats private janitor companies are preparing a more aggressive campaign to get into schools having recently formed the Contract Cleaners Association of Alberta, a pro-contracting-out lobby organization.