JACKSON —On October 17, union workers fighting the privatization of mental health programs in Jackson and Hillsdale counties did not fare well. Judge Chad Schmucker of the Jackson County Circuit Court denied a request by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) to strike down arrangements with private contractors that started on October 1.

The union claimed that LifeWays, a public agency, broke promises to protect union jobs, wages, and benefits in the two counties affected by the recent privatization. The ruling means that LifeWays, which no longer provides any direct services to mentally ill and retarded people, can continue to oversee treatment decisions as it moves to contract with private firms. Judge Schmucker agreed with LifeWays that the union, whose immediate concern was not with clients and patients but with its members’ compensation, must negotiate any raises separately with each of the new contractors.

Meanwhile, in Lenawee County, the Community Mental Health Board of Directors voted to convert all of its services to private contracts by October 1998. These developments in Jackson, Hillsdale, and Lenawee counties reflect a continuing effort in Michigan towards privatizing mental health care, a longstanding policy of the Engler administration.