Overview of the Collection
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Repository Name:
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Seattle Municipal Archives
PO Box 94728
600 Fourth Avenue, Floor 3
Seattle, WA 98124-4728
Phone: 206/233-7807
Email: archives@seattle.gov
http://www.seattle.gov/cityarchives
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Collection Number:
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6000-09
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Creator:
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Seattle
(Wash.). Personnel Dept.
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Title:
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Civil Service Commission
Scrapbooks
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Dates:
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1934-1947 (inclusive)
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Quantity:
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3 volumes
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Languages:
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Collection materials are in
English.
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Summary:
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Three scrapbooks of newspaper clippings
relating to employment with city government, 1934-1947, including information
about civil service exams, employee training, job reclassification, salary
changes, and retirement.
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Historical Note
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.
Content Description
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.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access Records are open to the public.
Preferred Citation [Item and date], Civil Service Commission Scrapbooks, Record Series
6000-09. Seattle Municipal Archives.
Subjects
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.
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| Seattle
(Wash.). Civil Service Commission |
| Seattle
(Wash.)--Politics and government |
| Civil
service--Examinations--Washington (State)--Seattle |
| Depressions--1929 |
| Municipal officials and
employees--Washington (State)--Seattle |
| Women--Employment--United
States--History--20th century |
| World War, 1939-1945
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| Clippings |
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in
the collection.
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Scrapbook 1
News clippings from the New York City
Civil Service Leader, 1940-42. Included are articles on jobs, draft,
retirement, tests (physical exams) and training, city and state civil service
lists opened to fill federal positions, reclassification, transit jobs, postal
jobs, police, firemen, nurses, temporary employment, clerk jobs, Ramspeck Law,
and salaries. Also includes clipping from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (1942) on life guards. Photo: people
sorting paper.
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Scrapbook 2
News clippings from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle Times, and Seattle Star,1945-47. Includes articles on selection of new
police chief, police activities, policewomen, City Council, firemen, city
pension plan, elections, pay raises, city budget/taxes, transit system,
training, effects of World War II (population growth, end of war, public works
program), City Charter, minimum wage for women and minors, and Skagit dams.
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Scrapbook 3
News clippings from the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer, Seattle Times, Seattle Star, and
Public Service Journal , 1934-1946. Includes
articles on Civil Service tests, bus jobs, policewoman test, defense
construction, jobs open, job applicants, Municipal Railway, police retirement,
Ruby Dam, City Light, pay classifications, union protests, popularity of Skagit
tours and necessity of guides, city budget, park employee’s wage suit, police
retirement, proposed ban on wives working, Charter Amendments, Resolutions,
civil service jobs held for servicemen’s return, offices moved for Army Air
Corps, traffic problems, meat inspector position, women lifeguards, worker
scarcity, civil service exams halted for war, transit, police activities, taxi
cab regulations, and City Council.
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