A Brief Discussion on Layoffs

With the disappointing budget news, more and more people are talking about layoffs. While every department is working to find ways besides layoffs to close holes in their budget, it’s possible that those efforts might not be enough. While no final decisions on layoffs have been approved yet, the subject is on everyone’s mind. I know it’s on mine. So, I wanted to review the contract and provide a brief summary of our contract rights when it comes to layoffs.

The contract gives us the following rights when it comes to layoffs:

  1. The county must inform everyone who is being laid off, in writing, 10 calendar days before their layoff takes effect.

  2. Layoffs must proceed in order of inverse seniority in each department and classification

  3. If there are alternative placement options available that you are qualified for, the county must place you in that position within two weeks of the announcement of the layoff. If they do not, this decision can be appealed. If the county does not place you in an available alternative placement position for which you are qualified within three weeks of the layoff announcement, the county must compensate you at a rate equivalent to the position that is open.

When it comes to recall from layoff, you have the following rights:

  1. Ten days prior to your date of recall, the county must inform you of your recall date, via certified mail

  2. You can work with the employer to find a different date of recall if the offered date is not acceptable. You have a right to turn down a recall, with no penalty, if you are being recalled to a position that would result in a paycut of 20% or more of your regular pay. Otherwise, turning down a recall results in termination of employment.

It’s also important to note that while the contract places almost no restrictions on the County’s ability to lay us off, we also have the right, and duty, as union members and as members of the public to organize, agitate, and raise hell against balancing the budget on the backs of the workers and the communities who rely on the services we provide.

In Solidarity,

Shane Clune