Several people could be affected by the elimination of just one position, and coordinating all of this takes time. The more notice Human Resources has of a pending lay-off, the more likely it is that we can help the person find alternative employment without having to bump anyone else out of a job. Under state statute, civil service employees acquire seniority in the classification in which they are employed. Until the completion of the probationary period, no seniority is accrued. Once the probationary period has been completed, the employee's seniority is calculated from the hire date in the classification.
Seniority is accumulated on the basis of hours in pay status, exclusive of overtime.
Seniority is earned both within a classification and within a promotional line. All seniority earned in a higher classification in a promotional line also accrues for all of the lower level classes in the same promotional line, even if the person was never employed in the lower classifications. For example, if someone is hired as an OSA III, once he or she completes probation, seniority will also accrue at the OSA II level. Seniority accrued in a classification is retained for that class for purposes of retreat rights, even though an employee accepts a position in another classification outside of the promotional line. For instance, if an OSA III accepts a position as an Account Technician I, all seniority in the Office Systems promotional line will be retained.