Reforming the Missouri Merit System
The Missouri state workforce is one of the lowest paid in the nation. Our 55,000 employees earn less than $40,000 a year on average. Because of these relatively low salaries, many would-be government workers instead find jobs in the private sector, where pay is higher and opportunities for promotion more readily available. We want a dedicated state workforce, but the current system incentivizes the hardest working job candidates to go elsewhere.
About half of our state workers are employed under the Missouri Merit System, a 70-year-old program that prevents managers from hiring, firing and promoting employees at their discretion. A new proposal, Senate Bill 1007, aims to reform this outdated system. The bill would make the vast majority of state jobs at-will, meaning a worker can leave or be dismissed at any point. This would allow state departments to attract and retain motivated workers by increasing the government’s ability to compete in the free market. Less motivated employees would no longer receive automatic promotions, making it so the most determined workers can snag these spots, instead. Hard work should be rewarded. Under the current system, it isn’t.
The Senate passed Senate Bill 1007 by a 21-to-12 vote, sending the measure to the House of Representatives for further discussion. The two chambers of the General Assembly have until May 18, the end of the 2018 regular legislative session, to approve the bill. I hope these reforms pass. We need to show the hardest working state employees we value their service by giving them the opportunity to advance in their careers. Only then can Missouri state government increase worker pay to a level more competitive with private employers.
As always, please feel free to call, email or write with your ideas or concerns. My Capitol office number is (573) 751-1415, my email is dan.hegeman@senate.mo.gov and my mailing address is Room 332, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.