'Civil Service'

I'm surprised no one has commented on this. McGraw tells Bikel that he doesn't have to worry about his job, "I'm Civil Service'. In other words, his job is protected/guaranteed no matter how bad he screws up - he can't be fired. Unstated but conversely, no matter how well he does, theres also little if no benefit for him.
In the US, with a presidential race beginning and a devote, self described 'socialist' running for office (Sanders), I wonder why there is no comment from anyone about these/McGraws words.
I'm not even going to get into it further unless I see that someone else here understands what I'm talking about. I really wonder how many college educated young people know that the heck I'm even talking about ? Private sector vs Public Employee union protected employment.