Thousands Wait to Apply for City Jobs
They were lured by the promise of a little job security, an opportunity to get medical benefits and a chance to make a better life for themselves and their families--things that have been stripped away from many jobs in an increasingly cost-conscious economy.
You might have thought the City of Los Angeles was handing out gold nuggets downtown. In fact, what was being given away were the first of thousands of applications for 100 or so entry-level janitorial and maintenance worker positions.
By the end of the workday Friday, more than 25,000 people are expected to have applied for the jobs, which pay from $18,600 to $32,000 a year.
So many people turned out Wednesday to apply for the positions--many waiting an hour or more in line--that officials had to reroute buses and call in police to control traffic around the city’s personnel office.
Some hopefuls even camped out on the sidewalk overnight, determined to be first in a line that wound its way twice around the building.
“I have three kids, and it’s kind of hard when you’ve got a minimum-wage job,” said Robert VanBuren, 40, who has been working part-time as bouncer. “If the line had been two hours long, I still would have been here just for that chance of getting gainful employment. I know with a job like this, I could do a lot for my family, I could do a lot for myself.”
For many, entry-level government positions are the last bastion of job stability. While the private sector over the past decade has cut salaries and benefits, government has maintained its wages. Pressured by stronger unions than now exist in the private sector, government has resisted the trend to lay off workers. What’s more, Civil Service offers a network in which to move up.
From New York to Florida to California, economists have seen the scene repeated time and again: Government puts out the call for a few helpers, and thousands of desperate people respond. About 10,000 people showed up the last time maintenance laborer openings were posted in Los Angeles; in four days two months ago, 22,000 people submitted applications for entry-level clerical jobs.
“This is like going for gold,” said Jack Kyser, chief economist at Economic Development Corp. “These jobs are a real step up on the economic ladder.”
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By lunchtime Wednesday, the city of Los Angeles had collected 6,500 applications and expected to have 8,000 by day’s end. Job seekers have until 5 p.m. Friday to turn in their paperwork, which they must file in person.
“There’s a lot of pent-up demand on the part of the job candidates,” said Phil Henning, assistant general manager of the city’s Personnel Department. “Decent-paying jobs with the full range of benefits are hard to come by.”
Henning said the city is seeking people to fill two job categories, “maintenance laborer” and “custodial services attendant.” With a starting salary of $22,128, maintenance laborers dig trenches, help load garbage onto trucks and mix tar on street paving projects, among other things. Eventually, they can earn up to $32,856 under the current salary scheme.
Custodial services attendants are janitors for public buildings, from City Hall to the new Police Academy facility in Westchester. They start at $18,600, and can earn up to $29,688.
The crowd in Los Angeles on Wednesday reflects the fact that while the unemployment rate has been sinking, many newly created jobs pay relatively low wages or offer less than full-time hours.
“There’s been downward pressure, so people who five years ago would never have considered janitorial work are now saying, ‘Well, it’s got benefits, so even if the wages are low and the work isn’t attractive, there’s health care for my kids,’ ” said Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg, who heads the City Council’s Personnel Committee.
It has been about four years since the city of Los Angeles accepted applications for entry-level janitorial and maintenance workers. There are no educational requirements, but to qualify, candidates must pass a basic aptitude test.
Applicants will be ranked according to their test scores and placed on a list that will be used to fill positions as they come available over the next two to four years, Henning said.
“It’s clear to me that a whole bunch of the recruitment is word of mouth: City employees telling their friends and neighbors about the jobs,” Henning said.
Part of the allure of a city job is the seemingly endless ladder available for climbing.
The late City Councilman Gil Lindsay loved to tell how he started his long political career cleaning toilets. Joan Milke Flores, a former council member who now has her own consulting firm, started on the city payroll as an entry-level typist.
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City Clerk Lee Martinez started in 1960 as a garage attendant. Now he runs a department of 400 employees with a budget of $37 million and has a salary of more than $120,000 a year. He used to park city-owned cars, the beloved perk of top-level bureaucrats; now he drives one.
“When I took that first job, I just figured I’d be here a couple of years and move on. My career goal at that point was to be an auto mechanic,” mused Martinez, who had several government jobs before being named city clerk in 1983.
Russell Pope Jr., 24, said he has been working two-part time jobs--one as a gas station clerk and another as a Federal Express deliveryman.
“I have two kids I need to support, and the part-time work is just not working out for me,” Pope said. “All my life, all I’ve known is work. I never could be a hustler or anything like that.”
Kevin Powell, who earns $6 an hour as a security guard, said he waited an hour in line to put in his application with the city.
“I just want the chance to try to make a little more money for my family,” said Powell, 26, who is supporting three youngsters. “I can operate a conveyor belt. I can drive commercial trucks. I’m good with my hands and I can do a lot of things. And I’m a hard worker.”
“I know there’s a slim chance of getting on with the city, but you’ve got to hope for the best.”
