School Workers’ Vote Fails to Abolish Personnel System

Disgruntled classified employees in the Glendale Unified School District narrowly failed last week to abolish the 24-year-old “merit system” of hiring, firing and promotion they claimed is outdated and cumbersome.

Organizers of the yearlong effort needed 504 votes--representing a majority of the district’s 1,006 clerks, maintenance workers and other non-teaching staff--to overhaul the personnel system, which regulates hiring, disciplinary and firing procedures of classified employees. They fell 66 votes short of a majority.

The merit system was initiated in the district in 1966 as a solution to patronage in personnel practices. It is run by a three-member commission that administers hiring and testing procedures, promotions and employee grievances. Commissioners are appointed and operate independently of the Board of Education or district superintendent. They also appoint their own personnel director.

Disgruntled classified employees, led by the Committee for Responsible Personnel Practices and the California School Employees Assn., have argued that collective bargaining and protections under the state Education Code have made the merit system unnecessary. They have complained that the system is chronically problematic. Testing for jobs is cumbersome and unfair, commissioners know little about employees’ affairs and often simply rubber stamp the recommendations of the personnel director, they have said.

“We feel that the commissioners have been unresponsive to us,” Mary Meehan, a data programmer and president of the local California School Employees Assn. chapter, said after the defeat. “These are three people who have outside, full-time important jobs and come into the district once a month. We really feel like when we bring something up, they’re not in a position to respond, so they just rubber stamp the director’s decision.”

Commissioners, responding angrily to those charges, said employees have not clearly cited their concerns, offered suggestions on how to improve the merit system or shown much interest by attending commission meetings.

“I think that’s bunk,” said Michael Myers, a personnel commissioner and a corporate lawyer in Los Angeles. “It’s extremely difficult to respond to an empty room. It is certain that in the course of dealing with 1,000 or so classified employees there are going to be actions taken or things done that are wrong. But if they’re brought to the attention of the commission, we’ll do our best to correct them.”

About 438 employees in last week’s election voted to abolish the system, 155 voted to retain it and 52 of the ballots were invalidated because they were returned too late or were improperly filled out, district officials said.

Some 361 employees did not vote in the referendum.

“Even though the commission remains, it was not a vote of confidence,” said Travers Devine, a field representative for the California School Employees Assn., the classified employees’ union.

Because of the high number of employees who voted to abolish the system, Devine and others say they are confident that administrators of the personnel system will “heed the message” and reform hiring, disciplinary and firing procedures.

“The message is what we have been stating all along: that people are not happy with the personnel system and that things need to change,” said local president Meehan. “I think we’ve won in a way because we believe our message has gotten through. We’re hopeful that things will be better.”

But two of the three personnel commissioners said no broad changes will be made.

“It’s obvious there are large numbers of employees who are or were unhappy with the conditions under which they worked,” Myers said. “But the system is a decent system and properly administered. I think things will pretty much stay as they are.”

“I think it’s a fair system,” said Mildred Teal, a personnel commissioner who also is an attorney. “It favors employees and works in their best interests. Are there any testing or hiring procedures that need to be changed? Not right off hand, no.”

A similar referendum is scheduled to begin on March 23 at Glendale Community College, where some 250 classified employees will be asked to vote whether to abolish their merit system.

Organizers of the drive against the system said their campaign has encouraged employees to attend commission hearings and communicate their concerns.

“We’d like to see them take a long, hard look at some of their rules, such as testing procedures, which are overly complicated,” Devine said. “I’d like them to consider having state validated testing. In addition, I’d like them to look at their procedures and classification interests in a little more depth than they have in the past.”

The commissioners and organizers agreed that the voting process educated employees about the merit system and improved communication between the two groups.

They also agreed that Robert Read, who recently was named the district’s personnel director, may help smooth out differences between the commission and employees. The former director, Sandra Leonard, resigned in August, shortly after disgruntled employees began their campaign, they said.

Read, a former personnel director in West Covina, said he has worked under merit and non-merit systems and has no preference. He declined to comment on the issue in Glendale, saying he has had little time to examine it.

“I believe very firmly that he’s going to fulfill his promise to work on the problems,” said Meehan, who was consulted by the commission before it selected Read. “We don’t expect miracles.”