According to a $173,142 study conducted for the state by BAE Systems, switching to a private company to manage Ohio's human resources program would save the state $131 million over five years, but instead of privatizing, the state should continue with its Ohio Administrative Knowledge System (OAKS) in order to keep jobs in Ohio.
Gov. Bob Taft recently has been considering the overhaul of Ohio's HR department and allowing operations to be handled by a private company, most likely Convergys Corporation, a Cincinnati-based company that recently cut a similar deal with Gov. Jeb Bush and the state of Florida.
Tempting as such a deal may sound, especially in the light of recent budget woes, privatizing would also mean jobs previously held by Ohioans would most likely be transferred overseas. Convergys Corp., the largest outsourcer of contact center services, has thousands of employees in India and the Philippines who provide support for major cable, credit card and cellular telephone companies. Interestingly enough, Convergys also made over $50,000 in contributions to Republican candidates and officials, including $5,000 to Taft. Last year Convergys received a $196.4 million incentive package to stay in Ohio from both the state and the city of Cincinnati. Could there be a connection?
According to Taft, the OAKS system, shelved last year due to budget concerns, is a six-year plan that would transform the way the state handles government administration
making it more efficient and more effective. It does not call for cutting jobs or sending them overseas, but is a plan for a paperless system that will link information regarding not only human resources, but also the government's accounts, capital-improvements, assets-management, budgeting and procurement.
Taft should do what is best financially for the state workers, not what is financially beneficial to the Republican party. Although carrying a $158 million price tag, the OAKS system, in which the state of Ohio has already invested over $9 million, would save $251 million in the first five years. Despite being slightly more costly, the OAKS system is a better choice in the long run. The money that would be saved with privatizing would probably be used compensating for lost jobs and put into state job-creation programs.
Same-sex benefits needed
The Defense of Marriage Act, passed yesteday by the Ohio's Senate, would make heterosexual marriage the strong public policy of Ohio. By refusing to recognize their unions as legit, it encourages discrimination against gay couples and is one more step in ostracizing the gay community.
Dubbed the Denial of Benefits Act by Senate Democrats, the law will deny financial benefits of marriage to unmarried couples, and would not recognize civil unions performed in other states. While this only applies to state employees, the Defense of Marriage Act opens the doors for businesses and private corporations to adopt their own policies denying employees domestic partner benefits. It also could have drastic implications for employees of state universities - like professors in Athens.
By not offering domestic partner benefits, state universities can lose highly qualified educators who are gay or nonmarried and encourage them to seek employment at private universities where their partners will qualify for benefits. The Defense of Marriage Act also could have a detrimental effect on Ohio's economy. Cincinnati city officials have estimated losses of over $45 million in convention revenue after voters failed a 1993 ballot issue that would have made gay discrimination illegal. Now that the General Assembly has made clear its prejudices, gay and like-minded groups could very well begin skipping Ohio in scheduling their conventions. 17
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