Position Classifications

According to the General Civil Service Act (Statute) Section 7, there are two “service” types of positions for Cities of the second class in PA.

1. Unclassified Service
2. Classified Service

Unclassified Service

• All officers elected by the people (Mayor, Controller, Council Members)
• All heads of departments, whose appointment is subject to confirmation by the select council thereof
• Members of Civil Service Commission
• All persons appointed by name in any statute

Classified Service – CSC Rules and Regulations apply to this service type

• All persons not included in the unclassified service
  • Exempt Classification - According to CS Rule XIV Section 2 Exempt positions will include positions where the duties and responsibilities cannot be measured by competitive or non-competitive examinations for reasons including but not limited to the policy making responsibilities of the position, the management level of the position, or personal characteristics such as honesty, integrity, and other attributes not measurable by examination, or the position may be in a program which is funded for a limited time making the term temporary or seasonal.
    • Superintendent of Police, Chief of the Fire Department (All Chiefs – BBI, EMS)
    • One Secretary and one confidential clerk to the Mayor
    • One confidential clerk to the director of each executive department
    •  All other positions, so classified, based on the General Civil Service Act Section 12 and as listed in Rule XIV Section 3.
  • Competitive Classification – All new positions in the classified service are placed into the Competitive Class and the positions may then be reclassified to Exempt or Non-Competitive according to CS XIV or Rule XIII Section 2 respectively.  Competitive positions are ones whereby the duties and responsibilities can be measured adequately by competitive examination.
    • Police Officer Recruit
    • Police Sergeant
    •  Police Lieutenant
    • Firefighter Recruit
    • Fire Lieutenant
    • Fire Captain
    • Fire Battalion Chief
    • Fire Deputy Chief
  • Non-Competitive Classification – According to CS Rule XIII Section 2 Non-Competitive positions will include but are not limited to:  positions that are supervisory, administrative, technical nature of the duties and responsibilities that cannot be measured adequately by competitive examination, other comparable positions previously classified as non-competitive, and a position in the labor agreement which provides for promotion based upon factors including seniority which are not feasible in the competitive classification.
  • Labor Classification – Ordinary labor type positions.
    • Laborers
    • Animal Controllers

NOTE:  The Unclassified Service and Exempt (Classified Service) are both “Non-Career.”