The Civil Service Commission was established in 1896 to oversee the Civil Service Department, which administered the City's personnel system, including the fire and police forces, laborers, inspectors, and clerical, electrical, and library workers. The commissioners classified city services and employees, coordinated and administered physical, medical, and competence examinations, dealt with appointments, promotions, and removals, and conducted investigations in the event of an employee appeal. The years brought new employment issues, including those of wartime employment conditions and women in the workforce.
During the Commission's early years, it faced some opposition; in 1912, charged with wastefulness and inefficiency, the Commission underwent an investigation by the City Council. Subsequently, a 1917 report reclassified city services and employees. Other difficult times in the Commission's history included the first and second World Wars, as well as the Great Depression; budgets were often tight, and many city employees joined the armed services or found business opportunities in other industries. In 1937, the City's services were again reclassified.
In 1979, the City's personnel system was reorganized with the creation of a Personnel Department independent of the Commission. The Commission was reorganized with jurisdiction to hear employee appeals relating to demotions, terminations, suspensions, certain lay-offs, and violations of personnel rules. Three members, serving staggered three-year terms, comprise the Commission. One member is appointed by the mayor, one by the City Council, and one is elected by City employees.
The collection consists of three scrapbooks of news clippings, compiled by the Civil Service Commission on subjects relating to employment with city government during the Depression until just after World War II. The clippings provide information about civil service exams, employee training, job reclassification, salary changes, and retirement. The activities of particular jobs and changes in their requirements are covered, including police, firemen, nurses, lifeguards, and transit workers. Activities of the city are reflected through information on the City Council, elections, city budget and taxes, Charter Amendments, and Resolutions. The articles also reflect wider historical events of the times. During the Depression, city jobs were receiving hundreds of applicants. Articles during World War II show issues were job security for those drafted, a shortage of workers, and an increasing number of women in the work force.
Records are open to the public.
[Item and date], Civil Service Commission Scrapbooks, Record Series 6000-09. Seattle Municipal Archives.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
News clippings from the
News clippings from the Seattle
News clippings from the Seattle