Scarlet Letter for Private Contractors?

The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board has torn into another ill-conceived piece of legislation pending in the Senate. This one, which would require non-employee contractors of public agencies to affix signage to their uniforms or vehicles that declares the individual is not a public employee. The question asked by the Bee is simple: why?

The bill, SB 566, is described by the Editors as a ploy to drive a negative public perception of contracted services, even when those contracts might increase efficiency – or at worst – maintain the status quo at a cost savings for public agencies. Take, for instance, Yolo Transportation. Unionized contractors – not public employees or their unionized members – drive the commuter busses. Under SB 566, the busses would be required to place a notice 2 feet tall and 30 feet long on each bus notifying passengers and the public to the employment status of its drivers.

The Bee cites the Senate Judiciary Committee’s analysis that claims the bill is necessary to: “ensure that members of the public can visually distinguish between government employees and nongovernment employees who are increasingly subcontracted to perform services once exclusively the domain of true public employees.”