Summary of union's concerns regarding civil service reform bill

Dec. 5, 2006 - The union is concerned about the following points in Rep. Steven Bueher's HB 187, legislation that would send Ohio backwards in terms of politics and cronyism in the workplace.

• Allow employers to impose furloughs for seventy (70) days for fiscal reasons. The furlough need not be for consecutive days and without meaningful notice or rationale or appeal. Employee may not be paid for accrued leave balances while on furlough. Furloughs may be include reduction of work hours. Furloughed employees may not bump other less senior employees.

• Employer can reduce full-time employees to part-time status for not more than seventy (70) days to avoid layoff. Seniority is not used to determine who is reduced.

• Expand disciplinary measures to include the reduction or elimination of longevity pay.

• Place employees charged with possible felonies or possible theft in office in unpaid leave for not longer than two (2) months. Only after trial and not guilty, the employee will be reimbursed pay with interest.

• Eliminates time county employee spends in active pay status for the purposes of calculating overtime pay.

• Limit bumping rights so that employees can displace only within their current classification series. No longer allow displacement in similar classifications or to classifications held within the last five (5) years.

• Allows appointments to positions without a competitive examination. Defines examinations to include interviews.

• Reduces bumping rights so that employees can displace only within their current classification series. No longer allow displacement in similar classifications or to classifications held within the last five (5) years.

• Removes employees from layoff recall lists earlier. Eliminates concept of recall close to home. Employee refusing recall to a position across the state is removed from the list.

• Give employers more discretion in setting minimum qualifications for positions without undergoing the complete job analysis process.

• Prevents recall to a position if Position Specific Minimum Qualifications (PMSQ) are not met.

• Reduce reinstatement rights for disability separation to two (2) years rather than 3

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Civil Service "Deform" (HB 187) proposal is back, would remove public employee protections, promote political cronyism

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