Arizona Says Most DES Firings Were Handled Properly But 40 People Will Get Their Jobs Back
A program that allowed fired Arizona Department of Economic Security employees to appeal to get their jobs back has ended, with officials having deemed that DES handled most of the terminations correctly.
Last month, Governor Doug Ducey fired Tim Jeffries, the businessman he appointed nearly two years ago to lead DES, after increasingly troubling news stories about Jeffries' leadership of the agency, including the mass firings first reported last year by New Times.
Nearly 500 people were terminated from the agency under Jeffries' short reign, out of a total of about 7,700 employees. From the beginning, numerous fired workers complained that they'd been treated callously and hadn't deserved to lose their jobs.
Jeffries claimed he was ridding the agency of the "cancer" of problem employees, who he said included "bullies," "liars," and "slackers." Some lauded his attempt to clean house, and he still has supporters. Others felt the termination program went too far. The agency replaced many of the fired people with new employees.
Read more: http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/arizona-says-most-des-firings-were-handled-properly-but-40-people-will-get-their-jobs-back-8932505
