Dan Shortridge is absolutely correct that Delaware’s state workforce has problems (“State must reform its hiring process”). As a former New Castle Conservation District employee at Delaware State Parks and a current Delaware Department of Transportation casual/seasonal employee, in addition to the concerns he outlined, I’ve noted the following issues:
State salaries for professionals in many fields are not at all competitive, not only in comparison to the private sector but compared to state workers in the same roles in other states in the region. It is hard to attract and retain anyone worth having when this is the case.
As Dan notes, too many jobs are dead ends without career paths. Additionally, most state jobs are also without any increase in pay that rewards the “time in grade” — or the experience and expertise developed doing the job well over time — that other employers offer.
It used to be that, while public-sector work paid less than the private sector, that gap was made up with better benefits, but those benefits have eroded over the years. Additionally, while the state offers a defined benefit pension, fewer people are staying with the same employers for their entire careers these days, and many will leave state work after a few years or will join the state late in their careers. In both cases, they would not receive the full benefit of the pension system.
Another practice that shortchanges workers is the use of contract employees in place of merit employees. Such workers may have base salaries comparable to merit workers, but they do not have all the benefits of merit workers. I know firsthand that the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control uses staff actually employed by the conservation districts in a smoke-and-mirrors game with the state budget: “Look, we reduced our staff headcount!” Meanwhile, the cost of contractors increased because the work still needs to be done! (And the conservation districts get a fee in addition, so such workers are actually more expensive!) While such employment makes sense for short-term projects via grant-funded initiatives, for example, it does not for ongoing staff. Even some state park superintendents have been hired and paid this way. It’s unfair and not at all transparent.
Delaware is the First State, and while it is an honor to serve the public, that service should be fairly and adequately rewarded. The state should not be the employer of least choice.
John P. McCarthy
Frederica
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
