After protest, Mayor halts privatization of 311 call center

In his 2016 Budget Address, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced plans to outsource 311 services and cited savings of $1 million, but provided no specifics as to how those savings would be achieved or what impact privatization would have on the quality of service provided or on the more than 50 employees who currently serve the residents of Chicago. 

AFSCME Council 31 members led the effort to save 311. The 311 operators took their story to the City Council and the media, urging the city not to privatize the call center. Many aldermen objected to the mayor’s plan, citing the call center’s excellent reputation as a national model for local non-emergency services. On October 21, shortly after 36 aldermen delivered a letter to Emanuel saying privatization would wipe out jobs and make city government less responsive, the mayor shelved his decision to privatize 311.

"Based on the feedback from City Council, we will be not be moving forward with 311 privatization in 2016,” Office of Budget and Management Budget Director Alexandra Holt told AFSCME. “OBM will work closely with the City Council to identify funding necessary to continue City management of the 311 system.”

Chicago's 311 operators are members of AFSCME Local 654. They provided compelling testimony at a public hearings and their story was covered by local media. Click here to watch longtime 311 staff member Debra Powell tell WGN-TV that "the mayor should invest in what he already has: knowledgeable, experienced operators who live in the city."

Chicago's 311 call center takes nearly four million calls annually and has received many awards and accolades as a leader in performance and innovation.