Thanks to AFSCME members, Chicago 311 is still public and better than ever. The Union’s anti-privatization efforts halted the city from outsourcing the non-emergency 311 center in Chicago, paving the way for a new and improved services. Now the city-run operation is being hailed as a national model.
Fox Valley Labor News staff reports
Thursday, January 24, 2019
CHICAGO — AFSCME‘s anti-privatization efforts halted the city from outsourcing the non-emergency 311 center in Chicago, paving the way for new and improved services. Now, the city-run operation is being hailed as a national model.
Dec. 19, 2018, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel introduced the revamped call center, which handles all non-emergency calls from citizens seeking help or information, along with a new website and the city’s first-ever mobile app. This will be one of the mayor’s last actions before leaving office. Unfortunately, back in 2015, Emanuel attempted to privatize the center in his initial budget address.
Chicago’s 311 operators are members of the Chicago-based AFSCME Local 654. They led the effort to save 311 from privatization, taking their story to aldermen and the media.
Built with Chicagoans, for Chicagoans, the new and modernized Chicago 311 system makes it easier for residents to access city services. Residents can now visit the CHI 311 web portal or use the first-ever CHI 311 mobile app to submit a service request, track progress and give the city immediate feedback.
Urging the city not to outsource the call center, longtime 311 staff member Debra Powell told reporters, “the mayor should invest in what he already has: knowledgeable, experienced operators who live in the city.”
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For residents, CHI 311 has become the main place to gain information about Chicago’s services and communicate any issues residents are having directly with the city.
In the wake of AFSCME’s intensive lobbying effort, aldermen started speaking out against the mayor’s plan. When 36 of them signed a letter to Emanuel during the final phase of the budget debate, saying that privatization would wipe out jobs and make city government less responsive, the mayor finally dropped his plan to privatize 311.
At the time, Office of Budget and Management Director Alexandra Holt said, “Based on the feedback from City Council, we will not be moving forward with 311 privatization in 2016.
“OBM will work closely with the City Council to identify funding necessary to continue City management of the 311 system.”
Chicago’s 311 call center takes more than three million calls annually and has received many awards and accolades as a leader in performance and innovation. Now, thanks to AFSCME members, there is a bright future for one of Chicago’s most critical public services.
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