Rights of Employees Displaced/Laid Off. Employees will be laid off and rehired in accordance with their seniority in a classification. The Superintendent/Designee will notify the Unit Bargaining Chairperson, and affected employees, in writing ten (10) days prior to scheduled layoffs. The USW Committee and administration will meet to discuss alternatives. If no alternatives are available, employees will be notified immediately of their layoff. If a vacancy occurs as a result of the layoff of the lowest seniority employee in the classification, Article XVII of this agreement will be used to fill the vacancy. In cases where a higher seniority employee is displaced due to the elimination of a position, the lowest seniority person in the classification affected will be laid off and the higher seniority person will be transferred to the open position created by the layoff. If the employee scheduled for layoff has more seniority than the lowest seniority employee in any classification within the bargaining unit, the employee scheduled for layoff may apply within five (5) working days of notification for the job held by the lowest seniority employee within the classification and if qualified, placed on the job. To be qualified, the employee must have required knowledge, meet minimum standards for the job, or have held the job previously. Once placed, the employee with less seniority will be displaced. When an employee moves into a new classification due to a layoff, a thirty (30) working day trial period will be used to evaluate the employee placed in the job. (See Article XVI - Paragraph B). During the thirty (30) working day trial period, the employee will be paid the beginning rate in the job, unless they are moving within the same classification. Upon successful completion of the thirty (30) working day trial period, the employee will be paid the step rate he/she would be entitled to in the job. Within the thirty (30) working days, the employee can request layoff due to an inability to complete job requirements or the administration can recommend the employee be laid off due to the inability to complete job requirements and the displaced worker would be recalled. When bargaining unit members are recalled after one (1) calendar year, they will return on a probationary basis for a period of thirty (30) days, and if satisfactory will be reinstated to the step they would have been otherwise entitled to prior to layoff.
