State: 40 fired DES workers can get job back

State officials say they will offer jobs to 40 of the hundreds of Department of Economic Security workers who were fired during the tenuous tenure of its now-departed director.

The Arizona Department of Administration announced on Friday that 40 of the 267 workers who were fired by former DES director Tim Jeffries and who sought their jobs back are eligible to return.

Spokeswoman Megan Rose said the department carefully reviewed each request and singled out 40 who were fired “in a manner that did not follow the best practices” of the state’s human resources division.

Jeffries fired about 500 workers, many who said they were dismissed for no reason. Ducey stripped Jeffries of his power to terminate employees after public outcry over the firings.

The governor fired Jeffries last month amid a string of controversies.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.