(A) Purpose
To establish a rule to govern situations in which
a reduction in the classified civil service workforce is necessary.
(B) Scope
This rule applies to all classified civil service
employees.
(C) Definitions
(1) Consult rule
3349-7-01 of the Administrative Code.
(2) "Abolishment of
Position" is the elimination of a position for any of the following
reasons: reorganization for the efficient operation of the university, economy,
or lack of work which is expected to last more than one year.
(3) "Appointing
Authority" refers to the director of human resources, or designee, based
on the delegation of authority by the university's board of trustees
pursuant to the powers granted to the board of trustees by division (F) of
section 124.14 of the Revised Code.
(4) "Break in
Service" is a separation from public service of thirty-one days or more.
Any university approved leave of absence, or any separation from service which
carries the right to reinstatement, or reemployment shall not constitute a
break in service; so long as the employee is reinstated or reemployed within
the allowable time. The time the employee was on leave of absence or was
separated shall not be counted in the calculation of retention points for
continuous service.
(5) "Continuous
Service" means service with a state of Ohio agency, an Ohio county office,
or a state of Ohio supported college or university without a break in
service.
(6) "Day(s)"
mean calendar days unless otherwise specified.
(7) "Displacement" for purposes of this rule is
the process by which an employee with more retention points exercises the right
to take the position of another employee with fewer retention points.
Displacement occurs on the date an employee is notified that another employee
has exercised the right of displacement and that the employee with fewer
retention points is to be displaced.
(8) "Economy"
shall be determined at the time the appointing authority proposes to abolish
the position. Reasons shall be based on the appointing authority's
estimated amount of savings with respect to salary benefits and other matters
associated with the abolishment of the position.
(9) "Employee(s)" for the purposes of this rule
refers only to those employees in the classified civil service.
(10) "Equivalent or
Lower Position" for purposes of displacement rights, is a position with an
equivalent or same salary range or a position with a lower salary range within
a job family.
(11) "Job
Group" is a cluster of positions sufficiently similar with respect to
duties, responsibilities, qualifications and salary ranges which appear within
the same job family.
(12) "Job
Family" is a cluster of positions with similar duties with varying levels
of responsibility, authority, qualifications, and salary ranges.
(13) "Lack of
Funds" is a current or projected deficiency of funding required to
maintain a position that requires a reduction in current or projected staffing
levels.
(14) "Lack of
Work" is a current or projected decrease in the workload or work
requirements of a position that requires a reduction in the current or
projected work force.
(15) "Layoff"
is a termination by the appointing authority from a position within the
university's classified civil service ranks.
(16) "Reduction in
Force" is a reduction in the number of employees at the
university.
(17) "Salary
Grade" is a level of the pay schedule assigned to each
position.
(18) "Salary
Range" is a continuum of salaries from minimum to maximum within each
salary grade.
(19) "Senior
Administration" are those individuals so designated by the
president.
(D) Body of the rule
(1) Layoffs
(a) Employees may be laid off whenever a reduction in force
is necessary due to a lack of funds, lack of work or the abolishment of
positions.
(b) If a reduction in force is necessary, the appointing
authority shall devise and carry out a plan that may include the layoff and
displacement of employees or the abolishment of positions.
(2) Determination of lack
of funds or lack of work
(a) The determination of a lack of funds or a lack of work
shall be made by the senior administration. The appointing authority will be so
informed by the president or designee.
(b) A statement of rationale and any supporting
documentation shall be maintained by the appointing authority for a period of
one year.
(3) Abolishment of
positions in the classified service
(a) The determination to abolish positions shall be made by
the senior administration. The appointing authority will be informed by the
president or designee.
(b) A statement of rationale and any supporting
documentation shall be maintained by the appointing authority for a period of
one year.
(4) Determination of job
families affected by a reduction in force
(a) Whenever a reduction in force is necessary due to lack
of work or lack of funds, the senior administration shall determine the job
family or job families in which the layoff or layoffs will occur, and the
number of employees to be laid off within each job family.
(b) Whenever a reduction in force is necessary due to the
abolishment of positions the senior administration shall determine the job
family or job families in which positions will be eliminated.
(c) When the determination has been made, the appointing
authority will be advised by the president or designee.
(5) Order of layoff of
employees
(a) For purposes of this rule, the order of layoff of
employees is as follows: part-time probationary, part-time permanent, full-time
probationary and full-time permanent.
(b) Within these categories, the employee having the fewest
retention points will be laid off first and continue to the employee with the
most retention points. Retention point lists shall be complied in descending
retention point order. In cases where two or more employees have identical
retention points the tie shall be broken in accordance with this
rule.
(6) Retention points,
general
(a) The appointing authority shall compute the total
retention points for each employee in the job family affected by a layoff due
to lack of work, lack of funds or position abolishment.
(b) Retention points shall be calculated as of the ending
date of the pay period in which the reduction in force will occur.
(c) Once the appointing authority has published the list of
retention points, the appointing authority may not hire into or move employees
into or out of affected job families by means of promotions, intra-transfers,
voluntary demotions, position control number change, lateral or job family
changes or reassignments.
(7) Computation of
employee retention points
(a) Employees shall be assigned a base of one hundred
retention points at the time of hire. Computation of retention points for
continuous full-time service shall be made by crediting each employee with one
retention point for each bi-weekly pay period of continuous service. For the
purposes of calculating retention points, full-time service shall include
service as a full-time permanent, or a full-time temporary employee. Service
during the probationary period will be included for purposes of calculating
retention points. For full-time temporary service, credit will be given only
for those pay periods in which the employee was scheduled to work. If an
employee is in a full-time position at any time during a pay period, they are
considered full-time for the entire pay period.
(b) Retention points for continuous service for other than
full-time service shall be calculated on the basis of one-half point for each
bi-weekly pay period of continuous service. Service during the probationary
period will be included for purposes of calculating retention
points.
(c) Retention points computed for full-time continuous
service and other than full-time continuous service, whenever applicable, shall
be combined to determine an employee's total retention points. Overtime
shall not be considered for purposes of computation of retention points for
continuous service.
(d) In the event two or more employees have identical
retention points as calculated by this rule, the tie shall be broken by the
following method:
(i) Employees having most
recent date of continuous service from which no break in service has occurred
shall be laid off or displaced first;
(ii) If the tie remains
unbroken, the appointing authority in consultation with the immediate
supervisor, shall determine the employee to be laid off or displaced first
after consideration of the entire employment record of both employees and the
needs of the university.
(e) In the event an employee transferred to the university,
the employee's length of continuous service will be deemed unbroken so
long as no break in service occurs from one Ohio civil service employer to
another.
(8) Notification of
layoff or displacement
(a) Each employee to be laid off shall be given advance
written notice by the appointing authority after the employee's retention
points have been calculated and posted. Such written notice shall be
hand-delivered to the employee at least fourteen days before the effective date
of layoff or displacement and the day of hand-delivery shall be the first day
of the fourteen day period. If the notice is to be mailed, it shall be by
certified mail. Such notice shall be mailed at least seventeen days before the
effective date of the layoff or displacement. The day the letter is mailed
shall be the first day of the seventeen-day period.
(b) Each notice of layoff or displacement shall contain the
following information:
(i) The reason for layoff
or displacement;
(ii) The effective date
of the layoff or displacement;
(iii) The employee's
accumulated retention points;
(iv) The right of the
employee to appeal a layoff or displacement to the state personnel board of
review and that the appeal must be filed or postmarked within ten days after
the employee is notified of the layoff or displacement;
(v) A statement advising
the employee of the right to displace another employee with fewer retention
points; and a statement that the employee has five days from the date of
notification to exercise displacement rights or be laid off;
(vi) A statement advising
the employee of the right to reinstatement or reemployment in accordance with
this rule;
(vii) A statement that,
upon request by the employee, the appointing authority will make available a
copy of the layoff rule;
(viii) A statement that
the employee is responsible for maintaining a current address with the
appointing authority; and
(ix) A statement that the
employee will receive compensation for accrued unused vacation leave and
accrued but unused compensatory time, up to the maximum accrual amounts
specified in those rules. This compensation will be paid at the time of the
layoff.
(9) Displacement and
appeal rights of employees
(a) Each employee laid off, or displaced as a result of a
layoff, shall only have the right to displace another employee with the fewest
retention points as specified in this rule.
(b) An employee who is to be laid off may exercise
displacement rights under the provisions of this rule or be laid off.
Displacement occurs on the date an employee is notified that another employee
has exercised the right of displacement and that the employee with fewer
retention points is to be displaced. A displaced employee may exercise the
right to displace another employee if such right to displace exists. If the
displaced employee does not have the right to displace another employee, then
the displaced employee shall be laid off.
(c) Employees shall notify the appointing authority, in
writing, of their intention to exercise their displacement rights within five
days after receipt of notice of layoff or displacement.
(d) No employee shall displace an employee unless the
employee possesses the requisite minimum qualifications or bona fide
occupational qualifications for the position. These qualifications are
established by the position description. The appointing authority shall be
responsible for verifying the necessity of these qualifications.
(e) An employee exercising displacement rights, or an
employee displaced as a result of a layoff or abolishment, shall be paid
according to the salary range assigned to the position into which the employee
displaced or was displaced. The employee shall be assigned a salary in the
salary range assigned to the new position not exceeding the salary the employee
was paid in the prior position. If the salary the employee was assigned in the
prior position exceeds the highest salary in the salary range assigned to the
new position, the employee will be assigned the maximum salary for the salary
range of the new position.
(f) An employee may appeal a layoff, or a displacement
which is the result of a layoff, to the state personnel board of review. Such
an appeal must be filed or postmarked no later than ten days after the employee
receives notice of the layoff or the date the employee is displaced. An
employee shall be considered displaced the date the employee is notified by the
university that another employee has exercised the right to displace the
employee from the employee's position. An appeal may be made in accordance
with the rules promulgated by the state personnel board of review.
(10) Laid-off employees
and employees displaced as a result of a layoff who have the right to displace
shall exercise their displacement rights in the following order:
(a) An employee who is to be laid off or displaced may fill
an available vacancy, or if no vacancy exists, displace within their job family
as set forth in this rule.
(b) An employee who is to be laid off or displaced may fill
an available vacancy, or if no vacancy exists, displace the employee with the
fewest retention points in the same and then successively lower job group in
the job family. This process shall continue, if necessary, until the employee
with the fewest retention points in the lowest job group of the job family has
been reached and, if necessary, laid off.
(c) An employee who is to be laid off or who is displaced
may fill an available vacancy, or if no vacancy exists, displace the employee
with the fewest retention points in the job family the laid-off or displaced
employee held immediately prior to their current job family, provided the job
group is lower than or equivalent to the employee's current job
group.
(i) A laid off or
displaced employee may displace into a job family previously held
if:
(a) The laid off or
displaced employee held a position in the previous job family within the three
years preceding the date an employee was laid off or displaced;
and
(b) The laid off or
displaced employee still meets the minimum qualifications or bona fide
occupational qualifications of the previous job family; and
(c) The laid off or
displaced employee has successfully completed the original probationary
period.
(ii) If a position does
not exist in that job family held by the employee immediately prior to the
current job family, or if a laid off or displaced employee is prevented from
displacing in a previously held job family because the employee does not meet
the minimum qualifications or bona fide occupational qualifications of the
previously held position, the employee may displace in the job family next
previously held, and in successive previously held job families, subject to the
provisions of this rule.
(iii) Notwithstanding the
provisions of this rule, an employee shall not be required to accept a position
with a lesser appointment type until the employee has had the opportunity to
exercise displacement rights as provided in this rule.
(iv) If, after an
employee has exercised displacement rights, the employee is to be laid off or
displaced due to a subsequent layoff, the employee's displacement rights
shall be in accordance with the job family from which the employee was first
displaced; provided however, the employee has rights to reinstatement or
reemployment in the previous job family. The employee's displacement
rights from a previously held job family shall exist for a one-year period
beginning with the date of the original layoff or displacement or until such
time as the employee is removed from a layoff list.
(11) Reinstatement
rights
The appointing authority shall prepare recall
lists of the names and appointment types of the employees laid off. The recall
lists shall be compiled by the job families in which the employees were laid
off. The names shall be listed in descending retention point order in each
appointment category. These lists shall be in reverse order of the order of
layoff as established in this rule.
(a) The recall lists shall contain the employee's
name, type of appointment, number of retention points, and date of commencement
of continuous service. In cases of identical retention point ratings, the order
of recall shall be the reverse order of the layoff. Any ties of retention
points shall be broken in accordance with the procedure established in this
rule.
(b) An employee's name shall remain on the appropriate
recall list for a period of one year from the date the employee was first laid
off or displaced from the original job family.
(c) Vacancies that occur in a job family for which a recall
list exists must be accepted or declined in writing within ten days by the
first person on the recall list for that job family before the next person on
the recall list may be offered the position.
(d) If a position has specific minimum qualifications or
bona fide occupational qualifications, the first person on the recall list who
meets these qualifications, must accept or decline the position in writing
within ten days before the next person on the recall list may be considered for
reinstatement.
(e) Employees on the recall list shall be offered a
position in a job family or job group with the same or lower salary range
assignment or appointment category than that of the job group or job family
from which the employee was laid off or displaced.
(f) A laid off or displaced employee who chooses not to
exercise the option to displace shall only be entitled to reinstatement to the
job group from which the employee was laid off or displaced.
(g) If the appointing authority has any employee on a
recall list, the appointing authority shall only hire, or promote into the job
family or the job group subject to the recall list.
(h) Any employee reinstated under this rule shall not serve
a new probationary period when reinstated; except, any employee laid off or
displaced while serving an original or promotional probationary period shall
begin a new probationary period upon reinstatement.
(12) Notification of
reinstatement or reemployment
(a) Each employee recalled from layoff shall be notified of
the offer of reinstatement by certified letter.
(i) The notice of
reinstatement shall contain a statement that refusal of reinstatement shall
result in removal of such person's name from the appointing
authority's recall list in accordance with this rule.
(ii) For vacancies with
specific minimum qualifications or bona fide occupational qualifications, the
notice of reinstatement shall contain a statement that these qualifications
exist. The notice shall also state that failure to meet these qualifications
will result in disqualification for that vacancy, and the person's name
will remain on the recall list.
(b) Each recalled employee shall be allowed ten days from
the date of receipt of the letter to return to work, and such time limit shall
be included in the employee in the notification of recall letter.
(i) In the event of
extenuating circumstances (including, but not limited to illness, injury, or
absence from city or state) preventing the employee from returning within the
above time limit, the employee shall be granted a reasonable extension, not to
exceed sixty days to report for work.
(ii) In the absence of
extenuating circumstances, an employee not accepting reinstatement within ten
days shall be deemed to have declined reinstatement and the employee's
name shall be removed from consideration for reinstatement in accordance with
this rule.
(c) The employee is responsible for keeping a current
address and phone number on file with the appointing authority.
(13) Removal from recall
list
(a) Any employee accepting or declining reinstatement to
the same job family and appointment type from which the layoff or displacement
initially occurred shall be removed from the reinstatement and recall list. Any
employee declining reinstatement to a different appointment category than that
from which the employee was laid off or displaced or declining reinstatement
for reasons of hardship, as approved by the appointing authority, shall not be
removed from the recall list as set forth in this rule.
(b) Any employee declining reinstatement to a position with
a salary range lower than the job group from which the layoff initially
occurred shall not be removed from the appointing authority recall list,
however such employee shall thereafter only be offered reinstatement to a job
group with a salary range higher than the position declined, up to and
including the job group from which the employee was laid off.
(c) If not otherwise removed, the name of any laid off
employee shall be removed from the appointing authority's recall list one
calendar year after the employee was first laid off or displaced from the
original job family. In the event any displaced employee is subsequently laid
off, such employee's name shall be removed from the recall list one
calendar year after the subsequent layoff.
(14) Inspection of layoff
lists
(a) On the date of any layoff, the appointing authority
shall post for inspection in a conspicuous and public place accessible to
affected employees a list containing the name, continuous service date, type of
appointment, job family, and number of retention points of all employees in
that job group and lower job groups in the job family. The list will be posted
for a period of ten days.
(b) The appointing authority's layoff list and copies
of the rule regarding layoff shall, upon request, be made available for
inspection and copying by anyone during normal working hours. A reasonable
charge for reproduction may be made.
(15) Layoff of employees
on sick leave, leave without pay, or receiving disability leave
benefits.
(a) Employees who are on sick leave at the time a layoff is
effective shall be subject to layoff, under the provisions of this rule. The
effective date of layoff or displacement of an employee may not be extended on
the basis that an employee is on sick leave or fmla leave.
(b) An employee who is on a leave of absence without pay at
the time a layoff is effective shall be subject to layoff under the provisions
of this rule. The effective date of a layoff or of displacement for an employee
may not be extended on the basis that an employee is on a leave of absence
without pay.
(c) An employee who is receiving disability leave benefits
under the provisions of the university's disability leave rule at the time
a layoff is effective shall be subject to layoff under the provisions of this
rule. An employee who is to be laid off while receiving disability leave
benefits shall continue to receive disability leave benefits until the period
of disability is over and the employee would otherwise be able to return to
work. The receipt of disability leave benefits shall be subject to the
provisions of the university's rule on disability leave.
(16) Cash conversion of
accrued leave at layoff, and restoration of leave credit
(a) Any employee who has accumulated but unused balances of
vacation leave and compensatory time at the time of layoff shall have such
balances converted to a cash benefit according to the following:
(i) Any accumulated but
unused balances of compensatory time shall be converted to a cash payment at
the time an employee is laid off; and
(ii) any accumulated
unused balance of vacation leave up to the maximum amount specified in the
university's rule shall be converted to a cash payment at the time an
employee is laid off.
(b) Employee's leave balances may only be reinstated
if the employee's layoff is disaffirmed by the state personnel board of
review and the employee submits a reimbursement for the entire amount of the
leave balance previously converted.