State employment ain’t what it used to be.

[raccoon]

Many people think of state employment, and they think, pay not so great, but good benefits.
It’s still that way for some people, usually people who have been working there for years and years. But not for a great many.

I work for a state agency and 50% of the employees are part-time, no benefits. I asked an HR employee how many employees are part-time and that’s what she told me, 50%. Some of those part-timers have been working here for years. I am one. I’ve been here a little over a decade. Every year, we sign a contract to work our job at whatever hourly wage for one year.

This is in a so-called “right to work” state, by the way.

Just FYI.

[HereSince1628]

1. Very common to have half or more instructors part-time at colleges and universities

Its the Walmartization of American educaton. I have no reason to doubt that the same isn't true within government generally.

I could rant, but it's a no win situation. People want less taxes and less tuition. Generally no one cares about the impacts on government and education as long as it is someone else who is disadvantaged by the Walmartization that makes tax/tuition cutting possible.

[seasat]

2. Florida does this stupid stuff with their DEP employees.

The entry level positions for their Department of Environmental protections are classified as OPS. They pay no benefits and a pitiful salary of around 11.50 per hour. They have no overtime available but do allow comp time up to 3 1/2 weeks. However, most supervisors are ordered to only let their employees work 40 hours per week. These positions usually require at least a bachelor's degree.

A major problem is that after a couple of years of this crap, many of the best employees leave to go to work with a private environmental consulting firm making a larger salary. You then have to hire a new person and go through the expense of retraining them. You end up with a few dedicated souls that stick around along with slackers who develop some seniority and know that their job is relatively safe due to few people wanting to work for low pay with no benefits. It ends up costing the state more under this system since they require more employees to do the same job because the productivity of the existing employees is low. Ultimately, the dedicated workers end up having to work extra with no pay to keep the agency marginally functional.

IMHO, this is an intentional action by the state Repubs to the keep the agency functioning at a low level so that developers and other Repub donors can get away with crap. Other important branches of the Florida state government are run the same way. They justify lucrative outside contracts to their supporters because the government agencies are dysfunctional. This provides even worse service (as seen with FL children services) because there is even less oversight than with the low wage state employees.

I wish voters would wake up and realize the mess that these idiots have created.

[Dr.Phool]

3. My wife works for Florida's privatized foster care agency.

The company providing the service changes every so often, but they all keep their jobs. The only thing that changes, is who pockets the money.

Thanks Jeb.

[seasat]

4. She is a saint

I've worked with DEP folks and have seen some of the crap the state employees have to go through. It takes a lot of dedication to your work to stick with it. One DEP supervisor I worked with told me that his goal was to try and convince his good employees to stick around at least three years. After that he had a chance to convert them off temporary status and get them some benefits. That was before the bottom fell out of the economy here. I imagine he's struggling to keep anyone on staff now.

[Berry Cool]

5. Here's another trick they do at state universities.

They employ someone on a year-to-year contract until union rules require them to either give the person a permanent appointment (similar to tenure) or let them go. They let 'em go and replace 'em with two part-timers they don't have to give bennies to. Saves a lot of dough.