CIVIL SERVICE MERIT SYSTEMS

WHEREAS, public employees in 25 states do not have the protections of collective bargaining, executive orders or exclusive representation and rely completely on the protocols of the merit system and civil service protections; and

WHEREAS, civil service systems across the country are being dismantled through legislative attacks that include privatization, downsizing and transfer of responsibilities to nonmerit agencies; and

WHEREAS, federal law requires that states utilize merit employees in some federally supported programs such as Food Stamp distribution; and

WHEREAS, in some states, notably Colorado, state employees are losing merit protections they once enjoyed through involuntary transfers to county nonmerit systems, making them at-will employees of the county; and

WHEREAS, quality services require continuity and expertise of state employees who are currently providing these services; and

WHEREAS, this situation is compounded by the fact that many state governments are delegating responsibilities to counties that may not have appropriate support structures as required by federal law; and

WHEREAS, civil service merit systems provide important protections from patronage, discrimination and special interests:

RESOLVED, that the AFT champion the federal definition of merit systems as a minimum to include protections from arbitrary and capricious actions and the detrimental influence of political patronage; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT reaffirm its belief that collective bargaining is the most appropriate mechanism for workplace fairness; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT work to fight any and all attempts to further abrogate the principles undergirding a merit system.