Public Sector Budget Analysis

Workshop Description:

LAPTOP RECOMMENDED

In workshop, you will learn how to successfully analyze public financial data with an eye towards building power for your members. Public sector accounting is notoriously arcane, and the wide availability of data can make it hard to know where to look. This workshop will help demystify public budgeting and set you and your organization on the right track. The session will focus on local agencies, though some takeaways will apply in other contexts and all are welcome. You will leave this session ready to analyze any public sector budget which comes your way.

In this session, we will cover the basics of public sector budget analysis with a particular eye to local governments like cities, counties, and special districts—how budgets are made, how to read a public budget and financial report, how to assess a revenue mix for fiscal stability, and how to find hidden pockets of money. We will also discuss the basics of how to easily compare your target city or district with others, and how to analyze public sector salary trends.

Workshop Leader:

Mark Brenner is co-director at the Labor Education and Research Center at the University of Oregon. Mark received his PhD in Economics from the University of California, Riverside, and before joining the University of Oregon Labor Center Mark served for many years as the Director of the Detroit-based non-profit Labor Notes. His research has focused on a wide variety of topics, including the economic dynamics of living and minimum wage laws, state and local budget and tax policy, as well as the impact of right-to-work laws on union organizing.  Mark is the co-author of several books, including the best-selling organizing manual Secrets of a Successful Organizer. He has over 30 years of experience as a labor educator, working with unions across the country, most recently in healthcare, education, and construction.