Check the new WhoseFlorida for updates
The Governor is taking jobs away from state employees
The Governor says this is a myth: Service First does not propose the elimination of any jobs.
Comments:
The Governor did not really listen to employee input
The Governor says this is a myth: The Governor believes that the civil service system can be
improved and had
initially proposed conceptual changes, but did not made any
specific
proposals until reviewing thousands of employee e-mails and
letters. The
Governor and many staff members read through each and every
e-mail received
and incorporated many of the ideas. In fact, the following
Service First
proposals came directly from employee feedback:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Comments:
There would be no protections under the proposed system
The Governor says this is a myth: The Governor believes that any reforms should continue to
protect workers
against discrimination and patronage. Career service workers
should not be
concerned about their political party affiliation or their age,
race or gender. These are all basic rights that should not be abridged.
Under the proposed system, the new standard for discipline and
suspension
would be reasonable cause. However, reasonable cause would keep
protections
against patronage and discrimination in place.
Managers will not be able to arbitrarily dismiss employees.
Employees will
maintain the ability to appeal a manager's decision to the PERC.
Comments:
The Governor says this is a myth: Governor Bush and the Legislature asked all state agencies to
evaluate the
size of their workforce, and as part of the process for
establishing program
priorities submit proposals to streamline Florida's bureaucracy
without
negatively impacting core services. This guidance was provided
only as an
exercise, not a mandate. The Governor views this exercise as a
means of
getting state agencies to focus on a more efficient and
effective government
- not an end in and of itself. In addition, Florida state
government
currently has an annual attrition rate of approximately 12
percent. To
illustrate how efficiencies can be achieved without displacing
employees,
consider the following: reducing the size of the state workforce
by 5
percent each year for the next 5 years would decrease the number
of
permanent positions by about 26,000. However, over the same time
period the
12 percent attrition rate would result in almost 60,000
vacancies. Assuming
a normal rate of additional hires to fill these vacancies would
still leave
about 38,000 unfilled positions, more than adequate to absorb
the reductions
without employees losing their jobs.
Comments:
The Governor is eliminating the cost of living increases
The Governor says this is a myth: The Governor does not plan to eliminate the cost of living
raises. Rather,
the Governor wants to couple the cost of living increases with
additional
funding for performance pay.
Comments:
There will be an adverse effect on retirement
The Governor says this is a myth: The Governor has no intention of negatively impacting
retirement. On the
contrary, the Governor would like to provide more options for
employees in
terms of leave and benefits so that they do not have to wait
until
retirement to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Comments:
DROP will be changed (this is a pre-retirement plan for state employees)
The Governor says this is a myth: The Governor is not proposing to change or eliminate DROP.
Comments:
The Governor says this is a myth: Seniority and experience are key ingredients of performance. To
the extent
that they provide employees with the ability to excel in their
jobs,
seniority and experience can provide a competitive advantage in
a
performance based system. The wisdom tenured state employees
have gained
from years of loyal service will continue to be a great asset to
this state.
Comments:
The Governor does not value employees or think they work hard
The Governor says this is a myth: The Governor has consistently stated how proud he is of
Florida's workforce.
In many respects, we are the envy of the nation for the
innovation and
services we provide. At the same time, our excellence should not
be an
excuse for complacency. We should always strive to do better,
and to provide
taxpayers with the highest quality service possible at the most
reasonable
expense. Career service reform will help take Florida's
outstanding
workforce to the next level. The Governor credits the hard work
and
dedication of state employees for every success of his
administration.
Comments:
The Governor says this is a myth: Career service reform is not about privatization. Rather, these
reform
efforts are focused on creating a system that provides greater
accountability, greater choices, with greater rewards. As it
relates to
outsourcing and privatization, the Governor has encouraged state
employees
to compete to provide services, and will focus on leveling the
playing field
so that public and private sector employees can offer their
services to the
state in a fair and consistent manner. The goal is to provide
the best
possible services to our citizens.
For any employees affected by the privatization of any state
services, the
Governor would require each agency to develop a transition plan
to include
job placement assistance.
Comments:
Under the Governor's proposal, I will always have to fear losing my job
The Governor says this is a myth: Florida state government already has a number of proven at-will
employment
systems and employees, including the Legislature, Judiciary,
Department of
the Lottery and the Office of the Governor. All of these offices
have
changing political climates, yet Select Exempt Service employees
and Senior
Management employees serve at the pleasure of the Governor.
These are
generally positions that may be filled by a new Governor at his
or her
discretion.
However, of the 2,252 SES employees currently in the Governor's
14 agencies,
1,671 employees or 74% were hired by the previous
administration. Of the 288
Senior Management employees in the Governor's agencies, 57% were
hired by
the previous administration.
Comments:
Info: email info@whoseflorida.com
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||