15
Removals in Civil Service
Of the many
levelled by that they cannot be adequately super
business men — sometimes justly and vised or disciplined.
‘ sometimes unjustly — against civil
Also, many honest, competent ad
serviçe practices^and regulations, thé ministrators have had their, enthus
most frequent is that it isdifficult to iasm for the merit system dissipated
the B'ifi-t ° f impossibility to discharge by frustration caused by the complex
a civil service employee unless he ities of I laws, rules, directives and
commits a major crime. Itis a popular political pressures.
myth that a civil service job is a life The Federal Service
I
time job. Màny an employee has be-
’ Non-'ftjaBran Employees: The Fed
lieved this, and has had the amazed e r a l Civil Service Act re q u S s merely
reaction, “ They can’t do this to me!” that a non-veteran be furnished by
whe^fa(|Sfôyitii removal charges.
^ g ld e w r tm e n t’head .with a written
The Citizens’ Committee
thé Statement of reasons why he is to be
Hoover Report, by giving publicity to fèmôyëd and hâve an opportunity to
one or^wo extreme cases of unjusti-
answer. The department head is the
fied delay in removing incompetent sole judge of the sufficiency of the
Federal en^ jB W M in a laudable ef-
defense, ’and/ the Civil Service Com
fòi^ K ^ t ress- th e ^ S S l for better per mission has no .'authority to review the
sonnel pgsS^^B^Bsffi^nwiiShgly f it -
case except where prima facie H |
ded to the general ^ ^ ^ ^ ^^ plinding
dençe of political or religious pre
of what the Civil Service Act really judice is shown.
Veterans: Under the ^jteran Pre
T la^^ ^ feîgggi| the H im misunder ference Act of 1944, Federal employeès
stood area of public personnel admin-
who are war veterans are entitled to a
■
the confusion, review by the Civil Service Commis
the ignited States Civil Service Com
sion in évery case' of removal. The
mission
a statement
Civil Service Commission has author
explaining the basic Federal fa w a n d ity to overrule the, department head
regulations go ver ning remo vais.
and order -reinstatement.
Public opinion regarding the civil
The report of\the Task Force on
^rvice?,is important* in a democracy. P e r s o n n e l Administration to the
The National Civil Service League Hoover Commission explained “the
wishes to draw public attention to thè I apparent apathy on the part of super
constant, dependable services regular visors at all leS s to weed out and
ly being p e rfo rm ^ by civil service remove whiteWllar employees whose
workers/. We believe that most public
work performance1 is sub-standard, in
employees are comnétêW. We believe part as follows:
that they can be even better,' and that
“ . . I Federal personnel ^officers
they want to be better. The best path
point out that Government agencies
to improvement is through more ade
are subject to other pressures which
quate public information and under necessitate;great caution, in effecting
standing.
the removal of unsatisfactory em
There is -little doubt .but that the ployees. The right of veterans to ap
prëstige of public employées has been peal to the Commission imposes a,
impaired by the widespread opinion definite restraint on the operating