Campaign News and Updates

During the March 4 committee meeting, Councilmember Vanessa Fuentes said councilmembers had received a letter from the union raising significant concerns about the consolidation process. In response, city staff said employee reaction was mixed and said the city would need to incorporate the council’s newly adopted Consultation Policy with AFSCME Local 1624.

The audit found the city might not be able to demonstrate whether the consultant services were justified or efficiently helped meet objectives.

In the end, Austin’s IT consolidation is a masterclass in innovation: spend millions to save millions, upset everyone, and create a system where the only thing running smoothly is the consultants’ billing software. Disruption achieved!

“With absolutely no nuance, the city decided that because we have ‘IT’ in our titles and because we use software to do one aspect of our jobs, that is all we are," Davis said at a March 4 rally. "Because of the appearance of cost savings, the city has decided that having subject-matter experts does not matter. By pushing One ATS, the city has decided that public safety does not matter.”

On Wednesday, March 4, city of Austin employees with AFSCME Local 1624 gathered at City Hall to protest City Manager T.C. Broadnax’s plan to consolidate more than 1,000 IT employees into Austin Technology Services.