civil service by kettl

8/17/2019 Civil Service by Kettl

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Part III: People in Government

Organizations

Chapter 8: The Civil Service


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Government Civil Service Systems

• Civil service system: employment system used

by democratic governments to minimize political

tinering !ith the administrative process

• "mployees are # $ired by merit

# Paid according to position

# Protected %rom political inter%erence and dismissal

# Obligated to accountability


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Public "mployment

• Size o% &merican bureaucracy is in the

middle o% the !orld's industrialized nations

•Total ()S) government employment at thenational level relatively %lat in the past %orty

years

• *early hal% o% all employees !or in

education and libraries


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+undamental "lements o% the

Civil Service System• Position classification: each position is

identi%ied in terms o% the special

no!ledge the ,ob re-uires. its level o%

di%%iculty. and the responsibilities that

come !ith it)

• Sta%%ing

• Compensation


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Position Classi%ication in the

Civil Service• Positions are de%ined according to

occupation. degree o% di%%iculty. and

responsibility)

• General Schedule /GS level0 that governs

most employees includes %i%teen grades)

• The system attempts to prevent political

inter%erence in the hiring process)


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Position Classi%ication Problems

• 1ritten descriptions rarely match actual ,obs

• System creates strong incentives %or grade

creep

# Grade creep: tendency %or agencies to multiply thenumber o% high administrative positions. shi%t

pro%essional specialists to administrative roles. or

see higher classi%ications %or e2isting positions

• +ederal !or%orce has changed3 maes itdi%%icult to eep system up4to4date


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Sta%%ing the Civil Service

• $iring process ass that applicants !ho meet

minimum -uali%ication re-uirements %or !hite4

collar positions tae one o% these e2ams:

# Assembled examination: !ritten test administeredusually at a number o% cities throughout the country3

used mostly %or lo!er positions

# Unassembled examination: candidate submits

comprehensive r5sum5. detailing education. training.and e2perience3 more common %or higher positions

/GS46 and up0


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Sta%%ing the Civil Service

/continued0• &pplicants !ho pass e2am are placed on

register o% individuals %or hire

• 7ule o% three9: the %irst three names on a

raned register list eligible %or hire


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Sta%%ing Pre%erences

• eterans receive a %ive4point bonus in the

%ederal system3 i% they are disabled they get a

ten4point bonus)

• Pre%erence over e-ually -uali%ied !hite males isgiven to minorities. !omen. and disabled

applicants)

• Those already holding career positions can

advance through promotion or trans%er !ithout

competing against e2ternal candidates)


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Sta%%ing Separations

• &verage length o% service ; seventeen

years %or %ull4time. permanent. nonpostal

employees

• $ard to remove mediocre employees


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Sta%%ing Separations /continued0

• Separation by attrition. reductions in %orce.

and buyouts

# Reductions in force (RIFs): governments

reduce their personnel ceilings to

accommodate tight budgets3 practiced in early


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Compensation in the Civil Service

• +ederal pay has tended to lag behind !hat employees!ould earn in similar private4sector ,obs)

• Government tends to provide generous %ringe bene%its)

• Civil service principle: individuals should receive e-ual

pay %or ,obs o% comparable value)• Comparable !ort": many state governments haveconducted these studies and %ound that se24based !agedi%%erences and se24based occupational segregatione2ist in their bureaucracies3 some re%orms have been

based on these results)


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"mployee ights and Obligations

• Unioni#ation: about >= percent o%

government employees at the %ederal.

state. and local levels are covered by

unions3 rise in unionization o% public

employees

• Collective bar$ainin$: used to determine

conditions o% employment3 has increasedin the public sector


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Public4Sector Stries

• Governments do not generally concede the right o%their employees to strie against 7the sovereignstate93 public employees do strie but are limited)

• Civil service system and budget decisions by

elected policymaers set basic conditions o% !or)• *o e2ecutive o%%icial can bargain over many o% the

issues about !hich the union is concerned)

• Government di%%ers in the scope o% issues on

!hich employees and their unions !ant to. or areable to. bargain)


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"mployees' ight to Privacy

• President eagan /?68@0 re-uired %ederal

employees to re%rain %rom the use o% drugs

and declared those !ho use illegal drugs

unsuitable %or employment)

• "mployee unions oppose mandatory

testing o% urine %or evidence o% illegal drug

use)

• &IAS testing also associated !ith issue o%

privacy)


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"mployees' Political &ctivity

• %atc" Act: Congress in ?6B6 adopted an

act to prevent pernicious political activities)

• Over time. the act has been amended in

numerous !ays)

• The $atch &ct !as amended in ?66B to

allo! %ederal employees to be more

involved in political campaigns)


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Patronage estrictions

• Three Supreme Court decisions have

tested the constitutionality o% re-uiring

party membership or support %or retention

o% government employment:

# Elrod v. Burns /?6@0: The Court's plurality

opinion condemned such patronage

dismissals o% non#civil service employees innonpolicymaing positions as a violation o%

+irst &mendment rights o% %reedom o% belie%

and association)


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Patronage estrictions /continued0

# Branit v. Finkel /?68=0: The Court held that in

this instance party a%%iliation is not an

appropriate re-uirement %or the e%%ective

per%ormance o% the position's duties) # Rutan v. Republican Party of Illinois /?66=0:

The Court dismissed claims that the

patronage practices %urthered the

government's interest in securing loyal ande%%ective employees)


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alues in Con%lict

• Civil service system. collective bargaining

system. and the political system embody

di%%erent values)

• Governments. unions. and political parties

all vie %or the loyalty and service o% public

employees)


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Conclusion

• Civil Service is broen. partisan solutions

to the problem

• Obama administration has made hiring

re%orm a top priority # Got rid o% DS& essay /7no!ledge. sills. abilities90

# Eust a resume and cover letter. no longer 7rule o%

three9 # Increased attention to simplicity. %le2ibility. and

e%%iciency

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