The GOP war on public employees: Special Session coming

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

I have told you about Frank Antenori's secret plan to end civil service merit selection system for county employees, and Craig gave you a preview of Coming Attractions: A "special" session of the legislature to turn every state job into a political patronage job.

The only solid reporting on Jan Brewer's behemoth bill to end the civil service merit selection system as we know it and to return to the spoils system of political patronage and cronyism has been in the Arizona Capitol Times. Public employees would have an incentive to keep working for politicians and their party — as opposed to a system of awarding employment on the basis of some measure of merit independent of political activity.

The Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required) reported Outline reveals details of Brewer personnel plan:

A proposal by Gov. Jan Brewer would uncover employees from the state’s merit system, remove terms of office for agency heads, and alter the way employees may appeal disciplinary actions, according to a summary of a 300-page-plus bill that the governor wanted the Legislature to pass this session.

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Under the plan, new hires and supervisors would be uncovered, and current employees would have to forgo merit protection in order to get a salary increase. Employees who voluntarily accept new assignments will also be uncovered. [This is what HB 2650 does to county employees (excluding the State of Maricopa), a bill currently on the governor's desk.]

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The proposal would also eliminate “terms of office” for heads of state agencies, essentially moving to a system where they serve at the pleasure of the governor. [aka, the spoils system.]

When is this Special Session going to occur?

“The governor is intent on getting this done. If not this session, than sometime between now and next year,” Benson said.

Benson did not say when the special session would take place, but presumably it would be in time for the scheduled implementation of the plan on Oct. 1.

The most current Arizona Capitol Times (subscription required) report is Republican lawmakers eager to take on merit system:

[T]he most drastic change yet for state employees looms just over the horizon.

Brewer plans to overhaul the merit protection system that state employees have enjoyed for decades, and she wants the system in place before the end of the year. And there appears to be little standing in the way.

The governor’s plan, according to an outline obtained by Arizona Capitol Times, would eliminate merit protection for most state employees. More than 25,000 of the state’s 35,000 employees are covered by the merit system.

New employees and supervisors would be employed at-will, meaning they would not be covered by the merit system and would not be able to appeal disciplinary actions, while current employees would be forced to forego those protections to get pay raises and promotions.

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The Governor’s Office refused multiple requests to discuss details of the plan, which has not been released to the entire Legislature.

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The Governor’s Office briefed House Speaker Kirk Adams and Senate President Russell Pearce on the plan in February, according to sources with knowledge of the meeting who could not comment publicly. And, for the most part, Republican lawmakers are eager to revamp the personnel system.

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Brewer’s plan would also:

• Prohibit agencies from using seniority or tenure as a factor in determining layoffs.
• Raise Personnel Board member pay to $200 per meeting from $30.
• Require ADOA to establish uniform procedures and forms for agencies to verify education and work history of job applicant.
• Limit overtime pay to law enforcement and probation personnel, except where mandated by federal law.
• Eliminate the performance evaluation system for Arizona Department of Education employees, as well as a teacher salary study conducted by the department.

I have said before that Tea-Publicans want to repeal the 20th Century. This is clearly a return to the worst practices of the 19th Century. HB 2650 (County Employees) should be vetoed. The Governor's plan (State Employees) should be defeated. It is an uphill fight against both of these bad bills and the radical extremist Tea-Publicans behind them.

Here is a Thomas Nast cartoon depicting William M. "Boss" Tweed and the Tamanny Hall corruption of political patronage and cronyism. Will Arizona's political cartoonists revive Nast's tradition for Jan Brewer and her Tea-Publican cronies?