Here & Now

Steineke Describes Civil Service System Overhaul Bill

ZAC SCHULTZ:

BUT FIRST WE’LL HEAR FROM THE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY LEADER IN THE ASSEMBLY, CO-AUTHOR OF THE BILL REPRESENTATIVE JIM STEINEKE OF KAUKAUNA, WHO JOINS US FROM APPLETON. THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

JIM STEINEKE:

THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

THIS PROPOSAL WOULD ELIMINATE THINGS LIKE THE CIVIL SERVICE EXAM. A TEST OF ALL POTENTIAL STATE EMPLOYEES THAT THEY TAKE TO SEE IF THEY HAVE THE SKILL SET NEEDED FOR THE JOB THEY’RE APPLYING FOR. WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE EXAM?

JIM STEINEKE:

WELL, RIGHT NOW WE’RE WORKING WITH THE SYSTEM THAT WAS CREATED BACK IN 1905. THE TEST ITSELF HAS BECOME A LITTLE ANTIQUATED. WE’RE SEEING THAT PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO GAME THE TEST AND IT’S NOT EXACTLY TURNING OUT TO BE ALL THAT RELEVANT IN TODAY’S WORLD. SO WHAT WE LOOK TO DO IS GO TO WHAT EVERY OTHER PRIVATE SECTOR BUSINESS DOES FOR THE MOST PART, IS A RESUM-BASED SYSTEM SO WE CAN HIRE MORE BASED ON MERIT.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

NOW, WE’VE HEARD SOME OF THE EXAMPLES THAT HAVE BEEN PUT OUT THERE ABOUT SOME FLAWS IN WHAT THE TEST SHOWED UP. I THINK THERE’S A SHORT ORDER COOK WHO QUALIFIED FOR A FINANCIAL ANALYST POSITION. BUT THE SYSTEM DOESN’T REQUIRE THAT PERSON TO BE HIRED AND THERE’S 30,000 EMPLOYEES. SO SHOULDN’T THERE BE A LOT MORE EXAMPLES IF THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN?

JIM STEINEKE:

SURE. I MEAN, ABSOLUTELY, WHAT THE EXAM DOES BEYOND PICKING PEOPLE THAT MAY NOT BE QUALIFIED FOR THE JOB. WHAT IT DOES IS IT DELAYS THE PROCESS QUITE A BIT. SO WHAT WE’RE LOOKING AT OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FIVE TO 10 YEARS IS IN FIVE YEARS, 23% OF THE STATE WORK FORCE IS GOING TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR RETIREMENT. IN 10 YEARS, THAT BLOOMS TO 40%. SO WE NEED TO GET THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST IN THE DOOR AS QUICK AS WE CAN, WHILE KEEPING THE STATE LAWS AGAINST CRONYISM IN PLACE BECAUSE WE’RE GOING TO BE INTO A BIG BOOM OF PEOPLE RETIRING OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT DECADE HERE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

NOW OTHER CHANGES ON THE BACKEND REGARDING FIRING WILL MAKE IT EASIER TO GET RID OF SOME EMPLOYEES. SOME OF THE EXAMPLES ARE WATCHING PORNOGRAPHY AT WORK, EMBEZZLING MONEY, THINGS LIKE THAT. WHAT GUARANTEES WILL REMAIN SO THAT WORKERS DON’T HAVE TO FEAR POLITICAL PRESSURE ON THE JOB?

JIM STEINEKE:

I THINK THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST EMPLOYEE-FRIENDLY PARTS OF THE BILL. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SAW IN LOOKING AT STATE STATUTES IS TH EJUST CAUSE DID NOT HAVE A DEFINITION IN THE STATE STATUTES OTHER THAN ABANDONMENT OF ONE’S POSITION. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE’VE HEARD FROM EMPLOYEES IS THAT THEY WERE ALWAYS WORRIED ABOUT GETTING FIRED JUST BECAUSE. SO BY DEFINING EXACTLY WHAT JUST CAUSE IS, WE GIVE THE EMPLOYEES A BRIGHT LINE WHERE THEY KNOW THEY CAN’T CROSS WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO BE TERMINATED IMMEDIATELY.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

DEMOCRATS ARE SAYING THIS IS A POWER GRAB, A CONSOLIDATION OF POWER. THAT THIS WILL OPEN THE DOOR FOR POLITICAL CRONIES AND DONORS’ CHILDREN TO BE PUT INTO OFFICE. HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THAT?

JIM STEINEKE:

WELL, IT’S JUST — IT’S RIDICULOUS. THEY WERE SAYING THESE THINGS BEFORE THE TEXT OF THE BILL WAS ACTUALLY EVEN RELEASED. WHICH IS FRUSTRATING BECAUSE PEOPLE PLAYING PARTISAN POLITICS WITH THIS ISSUE DOESN’T MAKE A LOT OF SENSE. ALL WE’RE TRYING TO DO IS STREAMLINE THE HIRING PROCESS. LIKE I SAID, STATE STATUTES THAT MAKE IT ILLEGAL TO HIRE OR FIRE BASED ON POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS REMAIN UNTOUCHED IN THIS BILL. SO THAT WOULD STILL BE ILLEGAL GOING FORWARD. ALL WE’RE TRYING TO DO IS MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN STREAMLINE THE PROCESS. GET PEOPLE IN THE DOOR BECAUSE OF THE ON-COMING BUNCH OF RETIREMENTS. AND THEN ON THE BACK END, IT SHOULDN’T TAKE A YEAR AND A HALF TO FIRE SOMEBODY THAT’S WATCHING PORN FOR FOUR HOURS A DAY. AND IN THAT CASE, A GUY WAS ACTUALLY HIRED BACK.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

ONE OF THE REASONS THIS HAS BECOME VERY CONTROVERSIAL RECENTLY IS IT WAS JUST ENDORSED BY GOVERNOR WALKER RIGHT AFTER HE DROPPED OUT OF THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE AND THE OPTICS SURROUNDING GOVERNOR WALKER AND HIS RELATIONSHIP TO STATE EMPLOYEES IS NOT GOOD RIGHT NOW. STARTED WITH ACT 10, WHEN HE WANTED TO REBOOT HIS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, HE SAID HE WOULD WIPE OUT FEDERAL UNIONS. SO DO YOU WORRY ABOUT THIS BECOMING THAT POLITICAL IN THE LONG TERM?

JIM STEINEKE:

YEAH, OBVIOUSLY I WORRY ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT, BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAINTAIN A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH STATE EMPLOYEES. AND HONESTLY I THINK IF GIVEN A CHANCE AND ACTUALLY READING THE TEXT OF THE BILL, I THINK STATE EMPLOYEES WILL BE HAPPY WITH THIS OVERALL BECAUSE, AGAIN, IT DEFINES WHAT JUST CAUSE IS SO THERE ARE NO GRAY AREAS ANYMORE. WE FUND $6 MILLION IN MERIT PAY SO OUR GREAT EMPLOYEES WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR MORE MONEY. AND NEW EMPLOYEES WILL HAVE A LONGER TIME TO BE ABLE TO GET ACCUSTOMED TO THEIR JOB IN THEIR PROBATIONARY PERIOD. SO I THINK OVERALL IT’S GOING TO BE A GOOD POSITIVE FOR EVERYBODY.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

CAN YOU GIVE ME AN ESTIMATE OR PERCENTAGE ON HOW MUCH OF THE CIVIL SERVICE PROTECTIONS THAT ARE IN PLACE TODAY WILL BE CHANGED BY THIS?

JIM STEINEKE:

I DON’T THINK THERE’S A VAST PERCENTAGE. THE CORE OF THE CIVIL SERVICE PROTECTION, SENATOR ROTH AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE MAINTAIN THE CORE OF THE CIVIL SERVICE PROTECTION. SO REALLY ALL WE WANTED TO DO WAS MODERNIZE THEM SO WE CAN HIRE THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST. I MEAN, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IF YOU’RE TRYING TO HIRE SOMEBODY AND THE ANSWER FROM THE EMPLOYER IS SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT MONTHS AWAY, LIKELIHOOD IS THE BEST EMPLOYEES ARE GOING TO BE GONE BEFORE THE STATE MAKES THAT OFFER. SO WE HAVE TO SPEED THINGS UP ON THAT END. AND ON THE BACK END, IF SOMEBODY’S BREAKING THE LAW OR IF SOMEBODY’S SEXUALLY HARASSING SOMEBODY IN THE WORK PLACE, WE SHOULDN’T BE PAYING THEIR SALARIES FOR A YEAR AND A HALF WHILE WE’RE WAITING TO GET THEM TO MOVE DOWN THE ROAD.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME TODAY, SIR. WE’LL FOLLOW THIS AS IT GOES FORWARD.

JIM STEINEKE:

THANK YOU.