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Public Employee Press
DCAS plan goes backdoor, says DC 37
A city plan to reduce the use of provisional employees relies
on backdoor and illegal methods, DC 37 leaders and staff told
the state Senate Civil Service Committee Oct. 21.
The plan issued by the Dept. of Citywide Administrative Services is an
attempt by the Bloomberg administration to circumvent the civil service
system and the principles of merit and fitness in the state constitution,
said Local 2627 President Robert Ajaye.
State Sen. Diane Savino, who chairs the committee, expressed dismay at
the citys poor progress in complying with the Long Beach court decision
and subsequent legislation that mandate municipalities to reduce the number
of long-term temporary workers on payroll. New York City currently has
33,000 provisionals.
The DCAS proposal would convert hundreds of competitive jobs where
those who have not passed civil service tests can be hired as provisionals
into noncompetitive positions that do not require the exams.
Evelyn Seinfeld, associate director of the DC 37 Research and Negotiations
Dept., called the plan a backdoor way to reduce provisionals
and charged that the reclassification would undermine the long-standing
civil service system.
Civil service law clearly mandates competitive testing for entry-level
positions up through managerial positions, Seinfeld said. Noncompetitive
appointments are intended to be the exception rather than the rule.
Unionists at the hearing said the plan would effectively diminish
the rights of employees in competitive titles.
The city systematically avoids scheduling competitive examinations
on a regular basis, said Local 154 President Juan Fernandez. Many
provisional positions have been used for cronyism and patronage. If DCAS
wants to make a real dent in the number of provisional workers, it should
increase the number of civil service tests and dedicate additional resources
to target titles that have large numbers of provisional workers.
Ajaye pointed out that the city university system has successfully implemented
an experience and education method of testing and creating lists
for the computer techs it employs and promotes.
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