Marshals Unite to Complain About Promotion Practices

Unhappy U.S. Marshals are organizing to protest a so-called conversion program that allows deputy marshals to become criminal investigators by skipping the regular civil service competition for jobs.

Marshals Unified, about 220 strong, wrote a letter to Marshals Service director John F. Clark, telling him that the new program violates federal merit system principles and promotion practices, the Washington Post reports.

The Post cites the dispute as an example of the tension that can develop when federal agencies change hiring practices to meet demands of increased workloads. The result often is formal grievances or court actions.