Department of Human Resources

1
Department of Human Resources
Civil Service Reform
Preserving the Promise of Government
Advisory Panel Presentation April
19, 2005
City and County of San Francisco Department of
Human Resources
2
Civil Service Reform ProjectTodays
Agenda___________________________________________
_____________

• Updates from the last Advisory Panel meeting
  (April 7th)
• - Board of Supervisors Government Audit
  Oversight Committee Hearing
• - Civil Service Commission Hearing
• - Additional Stakeholder Input Mayor, Department
  Heads and CFOs, PTC, CHRM
• Review of the Citys current policies and
  procedures on separation
• Discussion of Issues
• Agenda for the next meeting

3
Civil Service Reform Project Reform Topic Area
Separation ____________________________________
____________________

• Separation
• Our goal is to treat our employees fairly while
  minimizing the disruption to employees and
  departments caused by separations.
• Separation issues include
• - Retirement
• - Succession Planning
• - Knowledge management ability to retain and
  manage knowledge outside of the influxes and
  exits of employees
• - Succession Planning
• - Layoffs and bumping (budget related)
• - Discharge and termination (performance-based)
• - Restrictions on future employment

4
Civil Service Reform Project Reform Topic Area
Separation ____________________________________
____________________

• Examples of questions to consider
• Does the City engage in adequate succession
  planning?
• Is there a better way to administer and implement
  layoffs that can minimize the amount of
  disruption and stress to both the employee and
  the department?
• Are there fair and appropriate ways to expedite
  the Citys disciplinary processes?
• Should the City have broader categories of
  at-will employment?
• Is the current system for restricting future
  employment fair and efficient?

5
Civil Service Reform Project Imminent Workforce
Retirements ______________________________________
__________________

• In the next 10 years, baby boomers will be
  retiring in mass
• Nearly 80 of the Citys workforce is vested (5
  years service)
• The average age of active employees in the City
  and County of San Francisco is 47.1 (SD 9.6)
• In the 1990s, the labor force increased by 1.1
  per year From 2010-2020, the increase will
  be only 0.36 per year

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Civil Service Reform Project Retirement Benefits
__________________________________________________
______

• Eligibility
• Employees are eligible to retire if
• - Employee is age 50 with 20 years of
  service, or
• - Employees is age 60 with 10 years of service
• Defined Benefits Plan
• Miscellaneous employees receive up to 2 of
  salary for each year of service (at age 60 or
  above)
• - Capped at 75 of salary
  
• Safety employees receive up to 3 of salary for
  each year of service (at age 55 or above)
• - Capped at 90 of salary

7
Civil Service Reform ProjectLayoff and Bumping
Process _________________________________________
__________________________________________________
___
Step 1 Department identifies position reduction
Step 2 Department identifies employee with least
departmental seniority
Step 3 Department provides notice per the MOU and
meets and confers
Step 4 DHR reviews and verifies department action
Step 5 DHR reviews employment history of the
affected employee
Step 6 DHR reviews Citywide seniority of
employees in affected class
DHR identifies vacant requisitions
DHR identifies least senior employees City-wide
Step 7
DHR determines reinstatement rights
DHR displaces least senior employee
DHR returns laid-off employee to vacant
requisition
Step 8
Affected employee remains on Holdover Roster
8
Civil Service Reform ProjectSeniority and Order
of Layoff ________________________________________
__________________________________________________
____

• Citywide seniority in a classification is the
  employees original date of certification from an
  eligible list to that class, not actual time
  spent in class.
• Department seniority in a classification is the
  employees certification date from an eligible
  list to that class in that department.
• Order of Layoff
• Provisional employees in the affected class
• Probationary employees in the affected class
• Permanent employees in the affected class
• ? Exempt Employees are not impacted by
  bumping

9
Civil Service Reform ProjectOrder of Layoff and
Bumping Process __________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________

• Holdover Rosters
• Laid-off permanent and probationary civil service
  employees are
• placed on Holdover Rosters in their respective
  classes and
• may be placed in a vacant position in another
  department
• may displace bump the most junior employee
  (based on citywide
• seniority) in the class
• - may be reinstated to a previous civil service
  position
• may be placed on near lists where possible
• If no immediate placement options, the employee
  will remain on
• the holdover roster for up to 5 years.
  Individuals continue to
• receive benefits for 5 years until the list
  expires
• Provisional and Exempt employees do not have
  holdover rights

10
Civil Service Reform ProjectBumping Process
__________________________________________________
____________________________________________
11
Civil Service Reform ProjectLayoff and Bumping
Process __________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__

• Exceptions to the Order of Layoffs
• - Departments may request DHR approval to
  place special conditions on a position
  defined as special qualifications or skills
  required for a specific position.
• - A less senior employee in a position with
  a special condition can only be bumped by a
  more senior employee who possesses the required
  special qualifications or skills.
• - More senior employees are canvassed by
  the Layoff Team to determine whether they
  meet specific special conditions. DHR relies
  upon that senior employees self-certification
  to verify qualifications
• - Examples
• - Proficiency in Spanish
• - Verifiable and recent journey level
  experience in programming GIS using Java, etc.
  - Possession of a California
  Drivers License class A
• - Geriatrics and rehabilitation experience
• - Ability to lift dead bodies 200 lbs

12
Civil Service Reform Project Layoffs and Bumping
__________________________________________________
______
Mr. Green PCS 1210 _at_ DHR Laid off due to lack
of funds
One Layoff of 1210 Benefits Analyst in DHR
Mr. Green PCS 1209 _at_ DHR Reinstates to prior
PCS class and Dept
Ms. Blue PCS 1209 _at_ DHR Bumped as the least
senior 1209 _at_ DHR
Ms. Blue PCS 1209 Bumps the least senior 1209
Citywide
Mr. Orange TPV 1209 _at_ RET Bumped as the least
senior 1209 Citywide
Mr. Orange TPV 1209 _at_ RET No return rights and
is out of work
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Civil Service Reform Project Layoffs and Bumping
_________________________________________________
_______
Two Layoffs in the 1063 Senior IS Programmer
Analyst

• Order of Seniority
• Mr. Brown
• Ms. Red
• Mr. Purple
• Ms. Mustard

Mr. Brown PCS 1063 _at_ Planning Laid off due to
lack of funds
Ms. Red PCS 1063 _at_ DPH Also laid off due to lack
of funds at the same time
Mr. Brown bumps Ms. Mustard PCS 1063 at CCD
Mr. Brown Released from probation at CCD and
placed on 1063 holdover roster.
Ms. Red bumps Mr. Purple PCS 1063 _at_ CCD
Mr. Purple placed on 1063 Holdover Roster Offered
position at PUC, declinedback on holdover.
Ms. Mustard placed on 1063 Holdover Roster
Mr. Brown Offered PCS 1063 position at PUC and
declined. Placed back on holdover roster.
Mr. Purple offered and accepted position back at
CCD, vacant after Mr. Brown release from
probation.
Ms. Mustard accepted PCS 1063 position _at_ PUC
declined by Mr. Brown and Mr. Purple
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Civil Service Reform Project Terminations and
Grievances ______________________________________
__________________________________________________
______

• In calendar year 2004, 32 disciplinary suspension
  grievances and 4 termination grievances were
  filed with the Employee Relations Division of
  DHR.
• - Of the 32 suspension grievances that the union
  has pursued
• On average, it has taken 12.75 months to
  resolve a suspension grievance through
  arbitration
• On average, it has taken 8 months to settle
  one
• - Of the 4 termination grievances filed
• 1 did not settle until 8.5 months after final
  notice of termination
• 1 was not pursued
• 1 employee is deceased
• 1 is yet to be arbitrated to date (filed
  August 17, 2004)

15
Civil Service Reform Project Terminations and
Grievances ______________________________________
__________________________________________________
______

• Citys MOUs have several steps in the grievance
  procedure.
• - Example SEIU MOU
• Step I Appeal to the Immediate Supervisor
• Step II Appeal to the Department
  Head/Designee
• Step III Appeal to the Director, Employee
  Relations/Designee Step IV Final and Binding
  Arbitration
• - MOU also has a provision for expedited
  arbitration for written
• warnings and suspensions 15 of days or less
• For each step, delay is caused by the parties
  and many times because arbitrators are not
  available.

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Civil Service Reform Project Reform Topic Areas
Separation ____________________________________
____________________

• Issues to explore
• -- Knowledge management and retention
• -- Retirement benefits as an incentive
• -- Appropriateness of interdepartmental
  bumping
• -- Base seniority on time worked in class
• -- Eliminate grievance steps for terminations
  
• -- Set minimum time frame to hear termination
• -- Eliminate future employment restrictions
• -- Expand types of at-will employment in the
  city

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Civil Service Reform ProjectAgenda for Next
Meeting April 26th ______________________________
__________________________________________________
______________

• Updates on Stakeholder Processes and Input
• Review of the Citys current policies and
  practices pertaining to Governance.
• Citys Goal To streamline and
  harmonize overlapping Charter sections, Civil
  Service Rules, HR policies, and
  negotiated provisions in 48 union labor
  contracts into a modern personnel system.
• Governance issues include
• HR Policies and Procedures
• Civil Service Rules
• Bargaining Units and Memoranda of Understanding
• Administrative Code Provisions
• Charter Provisions