LAYOFF MANUAL

MAJOR AREA: SERVICE AND SENIORITY COMPUTATIONS
SECTION NUMBER: 600

ORIGINAL ISSUE DATE: January 2003
REVISED: 

This section explains another important mechanic of the layoff process: Service and Seniority Computations.
PRELIMINARY SENIORITY SCORES
An employee receives one point of seniority credit for each complete month of full-time State service, regardless of when, and in what classes, such service occurred. Less Than Full-Time Employees -- Credit for less than full-time employment is calculated by the Service and Seniority Unit at DPA. (Note: Bargaining Unit 6 provides that seniority consists only of time served within the Bargaining Unit. See each Bargaining Unit for specific seniority provisions.)

•	Time served in all types of State appointments other than emergency appointments not immediately followed by a qualifying appointment is counted toward seniority.

•	Prior exempt service is computed by the Service and Seniority Unit from data obtained and provided by the appointing power.

•	Credit for intermittent time is computed by the Service and Seniority Unit from data posted to employment histories by the appointing power.

FINAL SENIORITY SCORES
DPA forwards the preliminary seniority scores to the appointing power, which finalizes the scores by adding any qualifying prior military service (maximum of 12 points) and by making any deletions (12 or 36 points) for performance shortcomings in professional, scientific, administrative, management, and executive classes.

PROCESS TO BREAK SENIORITY SCORE TIES
Professional, Scientific, Administrative, Management, or Executive Classes
Tie seniority scores between employees in these classes are broken first by current performance evaluations. If such a distinction cannot be made, the preferences applied to employees in other classes are used.

Other Classes
The following tie breakers are used: (1) veteran;
(2) greatest amount of service in class of layoff, or in a class at substantially the same or higher salary level as the class of layoff;
(3) employee in (2) who has served in the class that has the highest maximum salary rate; (4) earliest appointment date for service credit under the provisions of GC Section 19997.3; (5) highest total State service (DPA Rule 599.739);
(6) earliest appointment date under provisions of DPA Rule 599.739; and
(7) lottery.

Example:
•	If two employees in the Staff Services Manager (SSM) I class in the area of layoff have the same score and one of them is a veteran, the veteran is considered the most senior.

•	If neither is a veteran or both are veterans, the employee with the most total service in the SSM I class and other classes at the same or higher salary level as the SSM I is considered the most senior.

•	If both employees have the same total service in the SSM I and other classes at the same or higher salary level as the SSM I, the employee who has served in the highest salaried class is considered the most senior.

•	If both employees have served in the same highest salaried class, the employee with the earliest date of appointment to any class is considered the most senior.

•	If both employees have the same initial date of appointment to any class, the employee who has the highest State service score is considered the most senior. Employees who were employed prior to 1969 could have service scores higher than their seniority scores.

•	Due to changes in law regarding breaks in service, this tie breaker results in the same date as tie breaker (4).

•	If the scores are still tied, some type of lottery system should be used to break the tie.

Whatever system is used, it should be agreeable to all parties and safeguards employed so the system cannot be manipulated to favor one of the employees. (Example: Each employee could write his or her name on a slip of paper and place it in a container. An impartial person could then draw the name of the person to be considered most senior.)

PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, ADMINISTRATIVE, MANAGEMENT, OR EXECUTIVE CLASSES
The deduction of 12 (Improvement Needed) or 36 (Unsatisfactory) points for performance only applies to the class of layoff. For example, presume that the class of layoff is Staff Services Manager II (Supervisory) and one incumbent, who has a seniority score of 186, has 36 points deducted for an Unsatisfactory rating on his performance evaluation. The resultant score of 150 is not high enough for him to "stick" in the class, and he demotes to the SSM I class. To determine if he will "stick" in this class, his original seniority score of 186 must be used.