3
Where Do We Go From Here?
State Employment:
Past, Present and Future
By Virgil G. O’Neil
tic voice! A t first it was a mild mur
It is said that
take mur, about fifty strong— the nucleus
/stock of^ h nns^ y()^ ^ ^ >nally to see of the present Oregon State Employees
I where^ ^ ^ ha^bee^^^here he is and Association. A small group of employ^
where he is going. To each of us, there ees joined themselves to see what
^comQs a time to pause, reflect, consider couid^^-dohe to bring a new concept
and>plan. EjgEState employees round of I
ntion^of
out the first quarter of 1949MgW ^ma v Old Man Oregon ! They were weary
well become freshened in memories of
â-nla
informed of the present, and f o g S B li the trouble that public ^ y -
advised of what the future may hold.
vice in this State has been experienc-
What of the Years Prior to 1943?
ing these last fevz years. They felt it
I t B . realized that less than one-third necessary to have some changes rnade
of the S '^ ^ ^ ^ B ^ en t, employees were if public agen^^^^^^^^^'rén d ^ ef-
in State service prior to 1943. For the Rfl^mnt- and economical service to the
sfeenefit of the nearly 8,000 employees. public.
who have been in the service fo r . only
A civi!^^^^pe.?^ ^ ^^gvpresehted to
a.‘few monMsIrar so, it, seems wise to the 1943 legislature. It was defeated. A
review State working conditions of the retirement B a n fpr^ public employees
was talked and promoted. Nothing
Without casting u
happened. A fe||| administrât^^ -iyere
l e M M g known that ‘-there^^S ’little Ejnnûlly approached with some sugges-
uniformity in policies between the tion which would help* employees, eli-
various departments, boards, institu- minate waste and promote théÿgeneral
Itions and bureaus. Each agency hired, welfare. Few were heard, fewer boro
fired and paid about as it pleased; . f r û i t f l
Vieing with^^wi> other for employ e s ?;
These few bold ¿employees, inRieob-
and guarding^mm^^ l^ their independ ardv of losing their jobs because of
ent policies of favoritism. All
their open alarm a f e t conditions, at
*Tes ' W h v tin§e(i'. with? autocratic aSS tracted more and more employees to
titudes.^toward ythjeir employees; .and' their cpuse and the OSEA began To
some were downright Simon
grow. B y 1945, théyj numbered nearly
The ideas of providing -good public 3,(100 members. This wide and rapid*
service to the public were as numer aÆ ^ ç e , of OSEA I
was
ous as fleas on a dog’s back. Public
the real need for I im-
service was
B o yem en t i n ? ^ ^ S raam ces " and 'the-
pensioners, personal favorites, and be appreciation of that need by the em-
set with other personnel inefficienc ployees.
ies; policies changed with the wind!
Due/ in large part to OSEA spon-1
• It W trfieHhat many efficient admin sorship and^^^mmfpres'entatioi^and
istrators held office in that period and with the aid of other ^ ub^^ ^ w t e ^
ma'ny .fai^hfdlOnd honest other -'em-
an d^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 'tiys both
SjM H B lsb gave their best efforts to
- .and,-Retirement
State service, b u n d e r ^ h a t /handijl Act were approved in 1945 by a wish;
pa^M ndH giglM what small apprecia legislature, and the first two major
tion.
steps in the imp^^æmeW ^ f Oregon’s
Some Changes Made Since 1943
pi iblij: servic<; were taken.
• In 1943 there'T^^ oa
heard - I Subsequent ; ,years-.|^S^HBS ^ they
“crying in the wilderness”— a prophe- ÔSEA grow to feoSM4-500 H B H