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DHR says it reached agreement with Local 21 to review and convert long‑term exempt city posts
Summary
After union pressure, the Department of Human Resources and IFPTE Local 21 agreed on a 12–18 month review of category‑18 exemptions in departments with high shares of exempt appointments, with the goal of converting ongoing project hires into permanent civil service positions when possible.
The San Francisco Department of Human Resources announced on March 5 that it has reached an agreement with IFPTE Local 21 to audit and, where possible, convert long‑term exempt appointments into permanent civil service positions.
Supervisor Connie Chan Feuer, who sponsored the hearing, said she called the meeting after discussions with Local 21 about “the use of civil service exclusions among city departments and the impact this is both on our civil service system as well as on exempt and permanent civil service city workers.” She told the committee the DHR‑Local 21 agreement prompted a change in the morning’s agenda to allow DHR to present the update.
Steve Ponder, DHR compensation director, told the Government Audit and Oversight Committee the agreement will target departments that have at least 15% of appointments in category 18 and at least 10 such appointments. “We have reached an agreement with Local 21,” Ponder said. “...we will be looking at the departments that have at least 15% of their appointments in cat 18 appointments and have 10 or more.” DHR plans a “robust schedule, monthly meetings” over the next 12 to 18 months to produce lists of cat‑18 appointments and to assess which positions represent ongoing work that could be consolidated and converted to permanent civil service (PCS).
Union speakers urged faster action and stronger worker protections. Kim Thompson, Local 21’s IT chapter president, described long‑term exempt appointments where employees with 10‑plus years were terminated without warning; Zach Goldman of IFPTE Local 21 urged an audit of exempt positions, a fair transition process and stronger workplace protections to guard against retaliation.
Representatives from other unions echoed those concerns. Sandra Ng, acting executive officer of the Civil Service Commission, clarified that converting a position to civil service is a review of the position; individual employees are not guaranteed appointment. “It is not a guarantee that these exempt employees will transition into permanent civil service positions,” Ng said, noting civil‑service rules require minimum qualifications, examinations and eligibility.
Supervisors pressed for department‑level detail and data. Supervisor Aaron Peskin and others asked DHR to return with itemized statistics showing where the 15% growth in exempt appointments occurred and said the committee should hold public hearings to dig into department‑specific patterns.
Next steps: DHR said it will provide department lists, work with unions and departments to reassess positions and try to identify roles that can be converted to permanent status. Supervisors asked that conversion efforts include protections against retaliation and measures that account for demographic disparities in exempt and temporary staffing.
