February 1, 2025

I just received the announcement/email (below) from a leader at PEF – the NYS Public Employees Federation.  The Webinar is being hosted by Cornell’s Institute for Labor Relations (ILR) and includes several lawmakers.  I have attached the new Report (mentioned and linked below) for your convenience.  

This is the ‘blurb’ from ILR and PEF re:  the topic of the discussion:

In the last decades, New York State’s mental healthcare agencies have outsourced work traditionally done by public sector employees to private contractors. Localities have been forced to cut or limit services due to budget cutbacks or shortfalls. How have privatization and austerity measures affected the employment and earnings of New York’s mental healthcare workforce? How have these changes impacted the quality of mental healthcare provision? Join us for a presentation on the nature and shape of these changes based on analysis of U.S. Census American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS) data from 1990 to 2021. A discussion with New York State legislators, policymakers and union leaders about the implications of these changes will follow the presentation. In an era where public sector work is under threat, we will explore the value of the public sector to those who work in and provide invaluable services to the public.

And the following excerpts can be found in the Report’s Exec Summary:“…Increasingly, state agencies have outsourced work traditionally done by public sector employees to private contractors, and localities have been forced to cut or limit services on account of budget cutbacks or shortfalls, resulting in a loss of public sector jobs. The mental healthcare sector exemplifies this trend, as policymakers’ goals of reducing public spending and healthcare costs have intersected with changing models of care provision, ultimately shrinking the public sector mental healthcare workforce…”

“…The analysis strongly suggests that public sector mental health facilities in New York State create good, well-paying union jobs, at all skill levels, and for residents of all racial-ethnic backgrounds; all while more dedicated mental health capacity (e.g., specialized mental health providers and facilities) might mean fewer suicides, fewer instances of hospitalization due to self-harm, and an overall stronger state of mental health across New York…”
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Good evening, 

Please join the NYS Public Employees Federation President Wayne Spence, PEF Vice President Randi DiAntonio, Senator Robert Jackson, Senator Samra Brouk, NYS Civil Service Department Commissioner Timothy Hogues and Cornell for an important Webinar about a report PEF commissioned with the Worker Institute and the Buffalo Co-Lab at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR). The full report — “Diminishing New York State’s Public Mental Healthcare Sector: The Impact of Austerity and Privatization on Wages and Employment” — is available online.  The Webinar and virtual panel will take place on Thursday, Feb. 6 from 10-11:30AM.

Restoring and increasing the State’s mental healthcare capacity is a priority of PEF’s Fund Our Future campaign and in the last couple budgets we have made positive changes with our partners in the Legislature and the Governor. But New Yorkers’ need for mental healthcare continues to grow, and we will continue to push for additional resources, beds and staffing so that anyone who needs critical mental healthcare in New York can efficiently receive it.

Thank you,
Leah Gonzalez
Political Director
NYS Public Employees Federation

From: The Worker Institute at Cornell <ilrschool@ilr.mail.cornell.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2025 9:05 AM
To: Anne Marie Elizabeth Brady <ab2532@cornell.edu>
Subject: Reminder: Privatization’s Toll on NY Mental Health Workforce

Webinar | February 6 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌