Workplace myth busted

Jake Olmstead in his letter on June 20 is badly misinformed about the efficiency of public workers compared to private workers.

I have worked and consulted with both public and private employers. Most public employees are just as efficient as any private employees. Some of the most inept and nonproductive employees that I have observed in my career worked for private employers, particularly employees working for government contractors who have a main goal of creating contract change orders on cost and schedule instead of completing their contractual work requirements.

The efficiency of an employee is more a function of the management’s ability to plan and schedule the work. As a cost to a government agency, a public employee costs approximately 60 percent of a private employee because sales costs and profits are not being paid.

It is time for the right-wing conservatives in this country to stop making these outlandish claims to the public because they want to privatize all public work in this country. Work involving public health and safety should never be privatized.

G. Thomas Clark

Deer Park