Government Employment, Civil Service:
TNT, Lewis Kamb, Sunday December 18th, 2011: Cheney renovation leader files claim over dismissal. Tacoma: He says he was wrongfully blamed, fired. In an interview Friday, Melvin and his attorney, Joan Mell, said the city never informed Melvin he was losing due-process rights or other protections when promoting him to a project manager in August 2010 at a salary of $103,000. Mell further argues that the city’s inclusion of the project-manager position in an unprotected class “is another example of the city systemically undermining its civil service system by just sprinkling it into an ordinance.” “So, Mr. Melvin gets to work for years thinking was working in a just-cause position, then the city suddenly fires him without cause or explanation,” she said. “…You can’t just make these decisions in a vacuum.”