Annual Publication of the Local 88 Seniority List
Publication Dates: Labor Relations publishes the annual Local 88 Seniority List every March to allow employees to review their seniority dates for errors. The list is then published again in April after any corrections are made. Employees need to carefully review the seniority list during March and bring errors to Human Resources’ attention during that time period if they want the change to be reflected in the April posting. Errors that are identified after the April publication will be noted in the employee’s file and updated on the next annual publication of the seniority list.
Usage of the List: The annual list is not used for layoff/bumping since it is a “snapshot in time” and does not reflect any changes that occur throughout the year. When there is layoff/bumping, Labor Relations will pull a new seniority list out of SAP, taking into account any seniority date appeals that have occurred since the annual publication, to ensure that the seniority data is accurate.
Types of Seniority Dates: For the purposes of layoff, bumping, and recall, the Local 88 contract requires that seniority be calculated using employees’ Countywide Seniority date. The seniority list is sorted by classification and listed in order of Countywide Seniority. Job Classification Seniority dates are also included because this seniority date is still used to determine shift and transfer rights, as well as vacation bidding in some departments.
Seniority Ties: Employees in the same classification who have the same seniority date are considered to be “tied.” Unless a seniority tie is broken in a manner specified below, the order on the seniority list for employees who have the same seniority date is not determinative for layoff and bumping purposes. In most cases, seniority ties will not be broken unless there is layoff/bumping occurring or some other compelling reason to do so. When seniority ties are broken, employee rankings will be added to the comment section on the annual seniority list.
Seniority ties are broken as follows [Article 21, Section (II)(A)]:
Test score on the Civil Service Exam for the classification.
If the test scores are not available or the test scores are also a tie, then the tie will be broken by a computerized logarithm.
Errors: If you think that your seniority date is inaccurate, please contact your Department Human Resources Staff, then Sally LaJoie in Labor Relations via e-mail, U.S. mail, or in-person delivery at:
Sally LaJoie
501 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd, Suite 300
Portland, Oregon 97214
sally.lajoie@multco.us
When communicating your issue, please include the following information:
Your name and contact information
Your department name
Your current position title
Specifics pertaining to your situation/explain why your seniority is wrong and how you were advised by your Human Resources department
Grievances: After employees contact Human Resources about a particular seniority issue, if it is not resolved to their satisfaction, they may file a Step 3 grievance with Labor Relations no later than thirty (30) days following initial consultation with Central Human Resources on the matter. If no grievance is filed within that time, the seniority calculation is deemed correct and no grievances may be filed at a later date on the issue. A grievance may be filed only with respect to seniority accrued since the effective date of the previous contract (the one prior to the current contract). Article 21, Section VII.B of the Local 88 Agreement contains information and instructions on filing grievances. Additional information on grievance content requirements is listed in Article 18 of the agreement.
Union Representation: Employees may also contact their Union Steward or Local 88 Union Representative at 503-239-9858 to discuss seniority questions and concerns.
