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Such morale, such interest and loyal
ty is the product of only the utmost
confidence and trust in a meticulously
fair and impartial administration. There
was no suspicion of favoritism or im
partiality. Every men knew he would
get all due credit and promotion when
there was opportunity.
The merit system responsible for this
high morale was designed and installed
by R. H. Baldock, State Highway En
gineer, and C. B. McCullough, Assist
ant State Highway Engineer, in 1937.
Under this system, rating cards are
made out annually by each employee’s
superior, appraising his character, ini
tiative, and industry, and these reports
together with education and service
records provide a composite merit
rating, which ratings form the basis of
all promotions. New applicants are
rated likewise by references and educa
tion and experience records. Coupled
with this is a published schedule of
wage rates whereby all employees per
forming equivalent work receive equal
pay throughout the state. A uniform
policy relative to vacations, sick leave,
and overtime pay has been established
and is administered to all employees
alike.
This merit system has paid big divi
dends and although limited in scope
has been most successful in the High
way Department. It is felt that the
same beneficial results would accrue to
those departments which do not now
have a merit system. There is, however,
no assurance that a change of admin
istration might not chuck the whole
system overboard, and for that reason,
it is our petition that the merit system
of civil service be made law to assure
continued beneficial operation through
out the future.
During the present scarcity of man-
power incidental to the war effort,
many of the State Highway Depart
ment’s old-time employees have regret
fully left the department because the
attraction of high wages in other activ
ities has outbalanced their belief in the
dependability of a merit system not
stabilized by the statutes.
The State Highway Department
merit system not only lacks legal status,
but is limited in certain other func
tions, which a permanent statutory
civil service may readily be made to
include. One function to be assumed
is that of examinations to definitely
establish each employee’s proper rating,
position, and grade, and to establish
definite specifications defining the du
ties and responsibilities of the Various
grades for each position or. work classi
fication. T h e s e classifications and
grades accurately equalize the pay with
the actual work performed and tend to
further increase the confidence of both
the employees and the public in the
fairness of the system. Examinations
and classifications are of such a com
plex nature, however, that they have
not been included in our Highway De
partment merit system. As an exam
ple, we point to the man in a certain
position for 15 years who receives the
same rating and pay as the recruit in
the same position. The new employee
should be able to start at the bottom
and with experience advance to higher
grades.
"H ow much will a state-wide merit
system of civil service cost the State
of Oregon?”
The best information we have been
able to locate on the cost of merit sys
tems is a tabulation found on page 71
in a book entitled "Public Personnel
Administration” by Mosher and Kings
ley published in 1941. This tabulation