Civil service reforms snarled by obscure section of constitution

A fight between Democrats and Governor Christie over the way New Jersey promotes its public employees has prompted a power struggle centered on a never-before-used amendment to the state constitution.

It’s a dispute with roots in a part of the constitution so obscure that even prominent New Jersey constitutional experts know little about it. But the results of the fight could be far-reaching, possibly affecting the jobs of all 80,000 state workers.

If Christie wins, his administration argues the proposal will create a more efficient and effective state government. But Democrats and public sector unions see it differently: They say the change could lead to nepotism, cronyism and corruption.

The proposal would create a system known as “job banding.” State employees could advance from one job within their band to another without taking a civil service test or competing with other prospective applicants, which they have to do now. They would still have to take a civil service exam before initially being hired, but after that, managers would have much more freedom to move workers to other jobs as long as they are not moving outside their band.

Democrats have called it “an affront to the people of New Jersey.” The head of the state’s AFL-CIO union said it “opens the door to the type of cronyism that civil service was created to eliminate in the first place.” The chairman of the Civil Service Commission, meanwhile, has called those accusations “disparaging.” A Christie spokes­man said the objections are “baseless” and said the union leaders are “embarrassingly uninformed.”

The Civil Service Commission, which is run by Christie appointees, gave final approval to the proposal on May 7.

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