- The Civil Service
- There are more than two million people working for the Federal Government today. All but the highest ranking federal employees are part of the civil service system.
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- Getting a Job in the Civil Service
- The constitution says little about how people should get jobs in the federal bureaucracy. It says the President "shall nominate...all officers of the United States whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for."
- Some of the early Presidents fired many government workers and replaced them with supporters or friends. This practice of giving offices to supporters and friends is called the spoils system. In 1829, newly elected President Andrew Jackson fired thousands. Because of this, he became known as "father of the spoils system."
- Serious attempts to change this system began in 1881. In that year, a disappointed office-seeker killed President james Garfield. Two years later, Congress passed the Pendleton Act. Its main purpose was to make merit, or ability, the reason for hiring people to fill federal positions. A few of its parts - giving preference to veterans and hiring workers based on States' populations - made it difficult to make merit most important in hiring.
- President Jimmy Carter improved the system when he asked Congress to pass the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. The office of Personnel Management now tests and hires most federal workers. The Merit System Protection Board enforces the merit system in the federal bureaucracy.
- Being a Civil Servant
- There are certain rules federal workers must follow. For example, they cannot strike, but they may join labor unions. They cannot run for public office or be active in political parties.
- Congress sets pay for federal employees. Pay for the low- and middle-level jobs in about the same as for jobs outside government. But in high-level jobs, the government is not able to pay as much as private business.