New Jersey Court Rejects Christie Administration Job Banding Rule

On Dec 1, a NJ appeals court rightfully rejected Governor Christie's far-reaching changes to the state's promotion process for certain state employees. The NJ Civil Service Commission had implemented a job-banding rule which grouped a series of job titles into one "band." This allowed management to freely appoint and promote workers from lower to higher titles in these bands and eliminated long-standing requirements for civil service tests and veterans preference.

The ruling by the court comes after two-and-a-half years of hard work by CWA and restores the taxpayer protections that ensure public jobs are not based on political connections and favoritism, but merit and fitness.

"For over a century, the Civil Service System has been based on the idea that people are appointed and promoted based on a system of objectively-determined merit and fitness. From his first day in office, Governor Christie has been obsessed with dismantling this fair, transparent system which protects the public from patronage and discrimination," said CWA NJ Area Director Hetty Rosenstein. "So, I am extremely heartened that the Court repudiated Christie’s sneaky scheme to dismantle civil service by ignoring the will of the people, the legislature, the law and our system of checks and balances."

Read more here.