CHAPTER 10 THE FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY
THE CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM SECTION II (PG )
WHO ARE CIVIL SERVANTS? Only 11% of government workers work in Washington D.C.workers The rest: FBI agents, forest rangers, air traffic controllers, etc. Over 40 years old Worked in government for approx. 15 years Majority earn between $25,000-$50,000 per year
WHO ARE CIVIL SERVANTS? About 30% are members of minority groups As opposed to about 22% of private work force Women make up 44% of federal workers Same as total workforce 30% of all federal employees had family members who also worked for the government
WHERE DO AMERICA’S FEDERAL EMPLOYEES WORK?
ORIGINS OF FEDERAL SERVICE The Spoils System Practice of victorious politicians rewarding their followers with government jobs This has fostered inefficiency and corruption Pendleton Act (1883) Sets up Civil Service Commission (since replaced by Office of Personnel Management & Merit System Protection Board
CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM TODAY
THE CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM TODAY Extremely competitive job market Civil Service Test (Example) Benefits of Government Service: Less educated make much more as compared to their private sector counterparts (and visa-versa) Medical/Vacation/Pension Job security (difficult to remove an incompetent government employee) Pay Scale ABC News Article