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 city’s 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.”