Opinion ID: 2470930
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Importance of Seniority

Text: The seniority of a Custodian or CE is important in several ways, only three of which are relevant to the appeal before us: seniority improves a Custodian or CE's ability (1) to get transfers to more desirable schools; (2) to get Temporary Care Assignments (TCAs) [9] ; and (3) to avoid being laid off. At least for transfers and layoffs, the effect of seniority is specified in a collective bargaining agreement between the Board and the union representing Custodians and CEs, Local 891 of the International Union of Operating Engineers (Local 891). Before discussing those matters, it is worth noting one way in which seniority is not at issue in this appeal: some seniority (which is termed non-competitive seniority) concerns a Custodian or CE's relationship with the Board in ways that do not affect the holder of that seniority's relationship to other Custodians or CEs. For example, the seniority that affects the amount of pay a Custodian or CE receives is, in this sense, non-competitive. See supra note 8.
Because Custodians and CEs earn higher salaries when they work in larger schools, it is desirable, when the opportunity arises, for them to transfer to larger schools. When there is a vacancy at a school, seniority plays a crucial role in determining who gets the transfer. [10] Pursuant to the rating and transfer plan in the collective bargaining agreement for Custodians and CEs, each school in the system is assigned to a particular seniority bracket based on its square footage. [11] CE brackets are associated with larger schools than the brackets for Custodians who have the same level of experience. In addition, some schools are available only to CEs, while some other schools are available to Custodians only if the Custodians have a refrigeration license. [12] Every few months or so, as needed, the Board issues a Vacancy List to Custodians and CEs. The Vacancy List sets out the schools with a Custodian or CE vacancy, and any Custodian or CE who is eligible to transfer may bid for open schools and specify his or her order of preference. [13] Custodians and CEs may bid for a school above their seniority bracket, so long as the bidder is not a Custodian bidding for a CE-only school, or a Custodian without a refrigeration license bidding for a school that requires such a license. Then the Board looks at who has applied for each vacant school. If only one eligible person bids for a school, then that person gets the school. The vast majority of vacant schools do not result in competition; either nobody or only one person bids for them. The most desirable vacancies, however, receive multiple bids. In such cases, if at least one bidder is in or above the school's seniority bracket, then any Custodian or CE who is below that seniority bracket will not get the school. In other words, a Custodian or CE can never get a school above his or her seniority bracket unless nobody in or above the required seniority bracket applies for the vacancy. If two or more candidates are in or above the required seniority bracket, then the transfer generally goes to the applicant with the highest performance rating from his or her current school's principal. However, if any other candidate's performance rating is within .25 points of the top candidate's performance rating, then seniority is used as a tie-breaker between them. The vacant school's principal can veto a Custodian or CE, but this does not appear to be a frequent occurrence. Indeed, nothing in the record indicates that it has ever happened. Once an applicant is determined by the Board to be the top applicant for a vacant school, the applicant cannot withdraw his or her bid; transfer to that school is mandatory. About 1% of the schools in the entire system get a new Custodian or CE each time the transfer process occurs.
Seniority also affects Temporary Care Assignmentsthough only slightly. When a temporary school vacancy results from illness, vacation, or leave, the Board fills the vacancy through the TCA process. Unlike the transfer process, the TCA process is not found in the collective bargaining agreement. The record conflicts as to whether the TCA process is governed by any contract negotiated with Local 891. [14] A Custodian or CE who receives a TCA will, for the duration of the TCAusually two monthslook after the TCA school in addition to his or her regularly assigned school. During that time, the salary of the Custodian or CE will be increased by 75%or 100% in the unlikely event that the TCA lasts more than six monthseven though he or she is not required to put in any additional time on the job. A Custodian or CE can reasonably expect to get a TCA once every two years. The process for assigning TCAs is somewhat different from the transfer process, but seniority still plays a role. The record is, however, unclear as to how significant that role is. Once a Custodian or CE has at least one year of experience, he or she is added to the TCA waitlist for the district in which his or her regularly assigned school is located, or for adjacent districts. [15] As TCAs arise, they are assigned to the Custodian or CE at the top of the list, so long as the TCA school does not require a license or special skill that the top person does not have. Upon finishing the TCA, the Custodian or CE is returned to the bottom of the list. Because of the rotation system, seniority seems to play only a relatively minor role in the awarding of TCAs. The district court does, however, suggest a way in which seniority might make a difference. According to that court, there are three separate TCA lists in each district: one for CEs, one for Custodians with at least 15 years' seniority, and one for other Custodians. United States v. N.Y. City Bd. of Educ., 448 F.Supp.2d 397, 411-12 (E.D.N.Y.2006) [hereinafter NYC Board III ]. None of the parties' briefs mentions three lists, nor do these briefs cite any part of the record supporting this proposition. But, if the district court's statement is correct, then increasing a Custodian's seniority might increase the size of the 15-year TCA list and thereby work to the detriment of other Custodians on that list. This would correspondingly benefit other Custodians who are on the fewer-than-15-years TCA list by decreasing that list's length. Similarly, it is to the advantage of any particular Custodian or CE for there to be as few as possible other Custodians or CEs with at least one year of seniority in the same or adjacent districts. For then it would not take as long to get back to the top of the list after a TCA assignment.
Seniority directly determines the order in which Custodians or CEs will be laid off under N.Y. Civ. Serv. Law § 80(1). The statute and the CBA provide for a typical last hired, first fired system.