State workers argue against ending civil service
Glad to post this news release from a reader opposed to an imminent legislative proposal to upend civil service in Wisconsin:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wisconsin State Employee Council Says Changes to Civil Service Rules are not needed
Madison, Wisconsin.
September 28, 2015:
The recent Republican proposal to reform Wisconsin’s Civil Service rules is another case of attempting to fix something that isn’t broken.
The Civil Service System was created to counteract the influence of politicians on state jobs. Allowing politicians to appoint public employees promotes cronyism.
The likelihood of getting the best employees in state service jobs is also reduced.These proposed changes will make state jobs less attractive as a viable career choice for the best qualified candidates.
The inability to find the best and brightest candidates is a direct result of vilifying public employees and erosion of compensation and employee security.
As a result of these proposed changes, employee turnover will increase and service quality and accountability will suffer.
This proposal to change civil service rules is disheartening at best and disastrous at worst.We ask that Wisconsin citizens that value good government contact their legislators to let them know that these changes are NOT in the public interest.
You can find contact information for your legislators at: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/ .
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wisconsin State Employee Council Says Changes to Civil Service Rules are not needed
Madison, Wisconsin.
September 28, 2015:
The recent Republican proposal to reform Wisconsin’s Civil Service rules is another case of attempting to fix something that isn’t broken.
The Civil Service System was created to counteract the influence of politicians on state jobs. Allowing politicians to appoint public employees promotes cronyism.
The likelihood of getting the best employees in state service jobs is also reduced.These proposed changes will make state jobs less attractive as a viable career choice for the best qualified candidates.
The inability to find the best and brightest candidates is a direct result of vilifying public employees and erosion of compensation and employee security.
As a result of these proposed changes, employee turnover will increase and service quality and accountability will suffer.
This proposal to change civil service rules is disheartening at best and disastrous at worst.We ask that Wisconsin citizens that value good government contact their legislators to let them know that these changes are NOT in the public interest.
You can find contact information for your legislators at: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/ .
5 comments:
In the new "resume-based" hiring system, the only item on the resume that will count for anything will be the references. If you have one from the county chairman of the Republican Party, you've got the job. Walker did a trial run with a resume-based system at the WEDC. How well did that work? And will those resumes be public documents, so that the public can do some fact-checking themselves?
I don't think the citizens of Wisconsin realize that these changes are very radical. Employees paid by tax dollars will no longer work in the best interest of the state and its citizens. They will work under the direction of the Governor and his appointees and by extension the millionaires and billionaires who contribute to his campaign. Wisconsinites really need to think about that. Their tax dollars are going to support people who don't live here but want to profit from activities that are supposed to protected by the state.
I suspect that the civil service changes have nothing to do with getting the "best and brightest" employees. Rather it allows Walker and Republicans to cut employees from state agencies. Walker's budget was short on revenues and was brought into balance by mandating a huge blanket lapse [return] of money from state agencies operating budgets to the General Fund. The amounts total $1.16 billion for the 2015-17 biennium with $716 million to be returned in 2017 alone. Over the 4 year period state agencies are to return in excess of $2.2 billion to the General Fund. It has not been explained how state agencies could find these kinds of funds to give back without huge cuts to public services or cuts to staff. But by coincidence the changes to the civil service protections for employees allows for a streamlined dismissal process for employees of state agencies with their appeals being heard by an agency appointed by Gov. Walker. One would suspect that career employees in the higher pay ranges and those that signed the recall petition would suddenly find that they have been given unsatisfactory job performance reports. One could also suspect that agencies Such as DPI and the GAB might suddenly find that many of their employees are not doing their jobs in a satisfactory manner. Some how the surprise proposed civil service changes fit hand and glove with Walkers budget mandate that state agencies return huge junks of their budgets to the General Fund! Coincidence....I think not.
This is another huge concern, the hiring of inspector generals to monitor state agencies. My take is the cronies Walker wants to put in these jobs can't pass the civil service tests.
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2015-09-28/campaign-finance-reform-money-in-politics/proposal-to-create-inspectors-general-in-wisconsin/a48200-1
That is such a cynical attitude. To think that the huge budget holes and these ALEC cronyism measures are all related. And it clears the path for later destruction. That's so dark and untrusting.
I like your approach
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