Civil Service Laws
Most public employees enjoy job tenure and other employment benefits by
virtue of civil service laws that protect qualified employees in public
("civil") service from unjustified discipline; as well as regulate other
terms and conditions of their employment, including providing for due process
rights, wages and benefits, promotion, and other rights.
The civil service rights of state employees are set forth in The Civil
Service Law, beginning at 71 Pa.C.S. §741.1. The civil service rights for
municipal employees (county, city, township, borough) are contained within
separate laws, mostly found throughout Pennsylvania's "Municipal Code" (Title
51 of the Consolidated Statutes), that set forth the rights available on the
basis of the kind and size of the municipality.
The laws are designed to attract qualified employees to public service by
offering enhanced rights over those usually found in private sector
employment, such as the right to job tenure. However, most (if not all) civil
service positions require qualification by testing; and then a probationary
period. During the probationary period, job tenure rights are limited, so
that the public employer has greater freedom to evaluate the performance of
new employees, and to make judgments as to an employee's retaining a
candidate, or dismissing him/her as unsuitable.
The Laws are administered by the State Civil Service Commission, which acts
primarily as a hearing and adjudicative body in disciplinary actions against
civil service employees.