LANSING — State Rep. Scott Dianda (D-Calumet) said today that the Michigan Civil Service Commission’s vote to approve rules that would take away the ability of civil service employees to negotiate basic job protections is a slap in the face to the hardworking Michiganders who devoted their lives to their state jobs. Dianda testified against the rules at the commission’s meeting.
“These are the workers who police our state highways, build and repair our roads and bridges, protect our vulnerable children and senior citizens, and maintain our state parks for families and the small businesses that depend on tourists,” said Dianda. “Taking away the rights of state workers to negotiate important job protections — including seniority — is bad for workers, their families and for Michigan. Our state workers don’t deserve this.”
The four appointed civil service commissioners create the rules that govern state classified employees. Those rules have the force and effect of law. With these new rules, workers will have less power to protect the things that Michigan families need, like safe roads and healthy communities.
“These commissioners are supposed to make state jobs attractive so that we can hire the best people for them, but instead, four unelected bureaucrats have voted to make state jobs tougher by depriving workers of their right to negotiate some work conditions and protections, ” said Dianda. “As a former state worker myself, I believe the Civil Service Commission is absolutely wrong in this vote, and it has done serious harm to state employees who work hard for all of us.”