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Government Column
Duluth Seeks Update In Hiring RulesDec 12, 2011 Peter Passi
It typically takes the city three to six months to bring a new employee onboard, according to David Montgomery, Duluth's chief administrative officer. He faults an outdated civil service code that requires board approvals for everything from job descriptions to employment ads. "We need to make sure we're competitive in terms of bringing skilled employees into our operations," said Mayor Don Ness as he recently made the case for a rewrite. "The question is: How do we hire the best and brightest?" Montgomery said, suggesting delays cost the city some of its best prospects. "The longer the process takes, the more good applicants you lose." But the city's efforts to revise the code have met with opposition from American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Local 66, International Association of Firefighters Local 101 and the Duluth Police Union. Erik Simonson, president of the firefighters local, said a proposed new code would dangerously weaken the city's Civil Service Board. "It transfers too much authority and power to the city's (human resources) department and takes it away from a board that is appointed to serve the interests of all instead of a few," he said. Simonson contends a proposal city administrators brought forward last week overreaches in its efforts to streamline. But he suggested common ground could be found. "I don't disagree that the code could be improved to speed up the hiring process," Simonson said, offering to sit down with the city to find a mutually acceptable solution. Tom Maida, president of the Duluth Police Union, also was critical of the proposal brought forward for a second reading by the Duluth City Council last week. "This is coming forward much too fast and without proper input from the unions," he told the council. "We ask that it gets slowed down." Deb Strohm, an AFSCME representative, made a similar request, saying: "We're asking for more time to work through some of the things in here that don't work." The council responded by tabling the measure by an 8-1 vote Monday, with Councilor Todd Fedora casting the sole dissenting vote. Councilor Patrick Boyle called the civil service code a complicated, multilayered issue, and referred to the city administration's proposal as "a good start." "I'm sure we'll get there, but I think it will take some time," he said. Montgomery said the city's civil service code requires serious revision, as much of it dates back to the 1940s. He said portions of the code are redundant, and some of it actually conflicts with state and federal law. He pointed to outdated provisions in the code that call on the city to not hire people with physical disabilities or mental illness. The city will probably see a surge of job openings in the near future, as its work force ages. Montgomery said the average age for city employees is in the upper 40s, with many staff members in their 50s. "By no means do we have a young work force," he said. The proposed revisions to the code are largely the product of recommendations by a human resources task force appointed over the summer to evaluate the city's employee recruitment efforts. While the new code would streamline the hiring process and remove the civil service board's involvement in approving job descriptions and employment ads, the board would continue to serve as an appellate body in situations where the city's fairness is in question. However, the board would have no ability to weigh in on any matter that is subject to a grievance under a collective bargaining agreement if the council accepts the proposed new code. Montgomery said employees should not fear the proposed new code, which would make no change to the city's current civil service testing practices. Source: (c)2011 the Duluth News Tribune (Duluth, Minn.) |
