PROMOTIONS AND STAFF CHANGES 11.01 Job Postings
a) When a vacancy occurs or a new position is created for a regular position which the Employer has decided to fill it shall be posted on all bulletin boards for five (5) working days and filled within forty (40) working days of the posting closing. Positions may be advertised in the media only after the Employer has determined an internal applicant is not the successful applicant. Where the Employer decides not to fill a vacant position, the Employer will provide an explanation to the Union if so requested.
b) The Employer, on a temporary basis, may fill a posted position during the posting and selection period.
c) For temporary positions of up to forty-two (42) days, a posting is not required. Positions of longer than forty-two (42) days (seventy-eight (78) days only in the case of temporary aquatic program positions) shall be posted except where the vacancy is created by the absence of an Employee due to vacation.
d) If a temporary position is made into a regular position, the new regular position shall be posted at least 14 days prior to the end of the temporary position.
(i) A posting shall include the following information: Nature of position, qualifications, skills, required knowledge and education, current shift hours and days, number of hours of work per week, and wage rate.
(ii) Such qualifications may not be established in an arbitrary or discriminatory manner, and shall reflect the contents of the Job Description.
11.02 Role of Seniority in Appointments, Promotions, Demotions and Transfers
a) Both parties recognize the principle of promotion within the service of the Employer in the bargaining unit
(i) For classifications required by their job description to supervise other employees in the bargaining unit listed in XXX#4, appointments, promotions, demotions, and transfers shall be based on the ability, knowledge, qualifications and seniority of the Regular Employees considered. Where the ability, qualifications and knowledge of the applicants are relatively equal, the senior applicant will be the successful candidate.
(ii) For all other classifications, where the ability, qualifications and knowledge are sufficient to perform the functions of the posted position, the senior applicant shall be appointed.
c) If the position is not filled by a Regular Employee in (i) or (ii) above, the ability and qualifications of Casual, Temporary and Seasonal Employees shall be considered, and if relatively equal, the senior applicant as determined in Article 10.05 shall be appointed.
d) If the position is not filled by an Employee in b (i), (ii), or c) above, all other applicants shall be considered.
WORKFORCE REDUCTION SECTION 1 Layoffs
(A) When employees are to be laid off as defined in the F.S., the state shall implement such layoff in the following manner:
(1) The competitive area for the bargaining unit shall be statewide unless the Department and PBA agree otherwise.
(2) Layoff shall be by class or occupational level within the Security Services Bargaining Unit.
(3) An employee who has not attained permanent status in his current position may be laid off without applying the provision for retention rights.
(4) No employee with permanent status in his current position shall be laid off while an employee who does not hold permanent status in his current position is serving in that class or level unless the permanent employee does not elect to exercise his retention rights or does not meet the selective competition criteria.
(5) All employees who have permanent status in their current positions shall be ranked on a layoff list for the affected class or level based on the total retention points derived as follows:
(a) Length of service retention points shall be based on one point for each month of continuous service in a Career Service position.
1. An employee who resigns from one Career Service position to accept employment in another Career Service position is not considered to have a break in service.
2. An employee who has been laid off and is reemployed within one year from the date of the layoff shall not be considered to have a break in service.
3. Moving from Career Service to Selected Exempt Service or Senior Management Service and back to Career Service does not constitute a break in service unless the employee’s break in service is more than 31 calendar days. Only time spent in the Career Service is counted in calculating retention points.
(b) Retention points deducted for performance not meeting performance standards or work expectations defined for the position shall be based on the five years immediately prior to the agency’s established cutoff date. Five points shall be deducted for each month an employee has a rating below performance expectations.
(6) The layoff list shall be prepared by totaling retention points. Employees eligible for veterans’ preference pursuant to section 295.07(1)(a) or (b), F.S., shall have 15 percent added to their total retention points, those eligible pursuant to section 295.07(1)(c), (d), or (e), F.S., shall have 10 percent added to their total retention points, and those eligible pursuant to section 295.071(1)(f), or (g), F.S., shall have five percent added to their total retention points.
(7) The employee with the highest total retention points is placed at the top of the list, and the employee with the lowest retention points is placed at the bottom of the list.
(8) The employee at the top of the list shall bump the employee at the bottom of the list. The next highest employee on the list and the remaining employees shall be handled in the same manner until the total number of filled positions in the class to be abolished is complete.
(9) Should two or more employees have the same combined total of retention points, the order of layoff shall be determined by giving preference for retention in the following sequence:
(a) The employee with the longest service in the affected class.
(b) The employee with the longest continuous service in the Career Service.
(c) The employee who is entitled to veterans’ preference pursuant to section 295.07(1), F.S.
(10) An employee who has permanent status in his current position and is to be laid off shall be given at least 14 calendar days’ notice of such layoff or two weeks’ pay, or a combination of days of notice and pay. Any payment will be made at the employee’s current hourly base rate of pay. The notice of layoff shall be in writing and sent to the employee by certified mail, return receipt requested. Within seven calendar days after receiving the notice of layoff, the employee shall have the right to request, in writing, a lateral action, reassignment, or demotion within the competitive area in lieu of layoff to a position in a class within the bargaining unit in which the employee held permanent status, or to a position in a class at the level of or below the class in the bargaining unit in which the employee held permanent status.
(11) An employee’s request for lateral action, reassignment, or demotion shall be granted unless it would cause the layoff of another employee who possesses a greater total of retention points.
(12) An employee adversely affected as a result of another employee having a greater number of retention points shall have the same right of lateral action, reassignment or demotion under the same procedure as provided in this section.
(13) If an employee requests a lateral action, reassignment, or demotion in lieu of layoff, the same formula and criteria for establishing retention points for that class shall be used as prescribed in this section.
(B) If there is to be a layoff of employees, the state shall take all reasonable steps to place any adversely affected employees in existing vacancies for which they are qualified.
(C) If work performed by employees in this unit is to be performed by non-state employees, the state agrees to encourage the employing entity to consider any adversely affected unit employees for employment in its organization if the state has been unable to place the employees in other positions within the State Personnel System.
Minimum Staffing The Employer agrees to employ sufficient registered staff and health care aides/ Personal Support Workers to meet the staffing needs that may be set from time to time by statute and/or regulation. In the event that there is insufficient staffing to meet this undertaking, the Employer will post vacancies so that any unmet care undertaking will be satisfied.
(a) The Employer will assign at least the same number of total bargaining unit RN hours that are equal to those hours that were scheduled in the last week ending prior to June 30, 2009. For clarity, this includes existing vacancies.
(b) In the event the Employer cannot meet their ongoing obligation for scheduled RN hours in part (a) above, it shall so notify the Union and fully disclose the reasons thereof.
(c) If the failure to staff is a legitimate recruitment issue, there shall be no violation of this Agreement. The Employer will make reasonable efforts to recruit a replacement and will provide the Union with an outline of recruitment activities.
(d) Further, if there is a reduction in beds, occupancy levels or CMI or its equivalent below the levels in effect as of June 30, 2009, a reduction in the complement shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement, as long as the reduction is proportionate.
(e) If there is any other reason for the failure to staff in accordance with this article, the Union and Employer will attempt to find a resolution and if unable to do so, the matter may be referred to Arbitration.
(f) The Arbitrator/Arbitration Board will have authority to determine whether the reduction in staffing was appropriate and shall have jurisdiction to award an appropriate remedy.
PERSONNEL REDUCTION 1. When the District deems a reduction in force is necessary, it shall provide notification to the Union no later than notification is provided to the affected employees. Meetings with the Union for discussion of the effects of the proposed reduction will be scheduled upon request. Reductions shall be accomplished in accordance with the following provisions:
A. Requests shall be made for volunteers in the affected classifications within the division. Management reserves the right to reject volunteers based on business needs.
B. Any employee subject to layoff can accept and/or request a voluntary demotion to a lower classification that they are qualified to fill providing a position vacancy exists.
C. Temporary positions within the affected classification, within the division, shall first be eliminated.
D. Probationary employees in the affected classification, within the division, shall be subject to layoff before layoff of regular full-time employees.
E. Part time employees in the affected classification, within the division, shall be subject to layoff before regular full-time employees.
2. The determination regarding a layoff of regular full-time employees shall be based on the following criteria applied to the affected division(s):
A. Seniority within the classification.
B. In the event two (2) or more employees have the same classification seniority, District seniority will be used.
C. In the event two or more employees have the same seniority, in the classification and within the district, active discipline history will be considered. In the event no discipline is documented, the last four digits of the social security number will be used retaining the employee with the highest number.
D. An employee subject to layoff can move back to the most recently held vacant position within the classification series within the division. If the position is held by another employee, the person with the most classification series seniority retains the position.
E. An employee subject to layoff can move back to the most recently held vacant position. If the position is held by another employee, the person with the most District seniority retains the position.
F. An employee subject to layoff that moves into a lower paid position will receive a minimum 5% reduction in pay, not to exceed the top of the lower position pay scale.
3. Employees laid off under this collective bargaining agreement shall receive at least six (6) weeks' notice, payment in lieu of notice, or any combination of notice and payment. A copy of this notice will be provided to the Union.
4. Reduction in Force Appeal Committee
A. Concurrent with the announcement of a reduction in force, an appeals committee will be formed. The Union and the District will each select two (2) representatives who in turn will select a fifth member who shall serve as the chairperson of the committee.
B. Employees subject to reduction in force may, within five (5) working days of receipt of notice, request an appeal in writing to the Union and/or HR Director to review the facts related to their individual concerns related to the process.
C. Within ten (10) working days of receipt of the appeal, the committee shall review, investigate, and receive statements from the appealing employee, the division director, and/or any other relevant persons as determined by the committee. The committee will serve as an advisory committee to the Chief Health Officer and recommend action as they may agree upon. The committee shall submit a statement of findings to the Chief Health Officer within ten (10) working days of the review. The committee shall also state a recommended action upon a majority vote of the committee members.
D. The Chief Health Officer shall review the committee's report and issue a decision that either accepts or rejects the recommendation or, at his/her discretion, directs the implementation of some other action. The decision of the Chief Health Officer is final and binding.
