The U.S. Office of Personnel
Management’s mission is to ensure the
Federal Government has an effective
civilian workforce.
President
Chester A. Arthur signed the Civil
Service Act of 1883 into law on January
16, creating the Civil Service
Commission, forerunner of OPM. Less than
2 months later, on March 9, 1883, his
appointees to the new positions of
United States Civil Service Commissioner
took office.
The three Commissioners, along with a staff of four
people, were in charge of administering and doing the daily work of regulating
positions in the new "competitive service," which originally contained 13,900
positions, out of the total Federal workforce of 132,800 in 1883.
Theodore Roosevelt's dedication to
civil service reform began in 1881 as a
member of the New York Civil Service
Reform Association and then in 1889 as
U.S. Civil Service Commissioner. Later as President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt's goal was the modernization, expansion and reform of the Federal government. As part of his administration, the Commission drafted and implemented the foundations of the modern merit system.
The changes brought about by 120 years are tremendous
in size and in scope, not only in what used to be the "Commission" and its
activities but of Government operations.
Today the Office of Personnel Management has
jurisdiction over a civil service (non-postal) of 1,361,975. And other agencies,
created at the same time as OPM by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978,
continue other functions of the former Civil Service Commission: the Merit
System Protection Board, the Office of Special Counsel, and the Federal Labor
Relations Board.
The current Federal workforce is made up of more than
1,886,000 employees, more than 90 percent of whom work under some form of merit
system. They staff more than 107 Government departments and agencies. They are
stationed throughout the United States and its territories, and in many foreign
countries.
More information about the U.S. Office of Personnel
Management may be found on their website at
www.opm.gov.
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