APC: Computing Seniority Points

Updated 2/11/08

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Computation of Seniority Points for Permanent Employees

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Excerpts from Article 33 of the 2000-2003 APC/CSU Collective Bargaining Agreement, With Related Notes:

33.10 All seniority points calculated for and earned by permanent employees prior to June 30, 1983, shall remain unchanged. Such seniority points shall serve as the base to which additional seniority points, earned pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, shall be added. The computation of seniority points pursuant to the following provisions shall replace the existing method of computation for points earned subsequent to June 30, 1983. Recalculated seniority points will become available as of August 1, 1994. Thereafter, seniority points shall be calculated and provided to the Union by the Office of the Chancellor upon written request by the Union, but no more often than two (2) times per year.

Note: APC regularly requests seniority points from the Chancellor's Office pursuant to this provision. Unfortunately, the responses from the University have been sporadic at best (resulting in litigation to compel compliance), and the Chancellor's Office often indicates that the seniority points provided have not been verified for completeness or accuracy. It therefore has been, and remains, extremely important for every Unit 4 employee to calculate her/his own seniority points, and APC has done everything possible to assist in this process.

33.11 Full-time permanent ten (10) month employees, eleven (11) month employees, twelve (12) month employees, and academic year employees, shall earn one (1) seniority point of service credit in a given class for each qualifying month of employment. Part-time employees holding permanent status shall earn seniority points proportional to the time base served. In no case shall a permanent employee earn more than twelve (12) seniority points per year.

Note: Only permanent employees have seniority points. Once having attained permanency in a classification, however, an employee is credited with seniority points for time spent in probationary or temporary status in that classification immediately preceding permanency. The term "given class" refers to a specific Unit 4 classification (such as Evaluator I, SSP II, etc.). The term "qualifying month of employment" refers to a calendar month during which an employee is in compensable status (i.e., at work, using vacation or sick leave, or on approved paid leave) for at least eleven (11) working days. But there is a different standard for determining eligibility for seniority points in an employee's first and last months in a classification; for this, see 33.13 and 33.14 below.

33.12 For the purpose of computing permanent employee seniority credit, length of service includes continuous time served on the campus as a temporary, probationary or permanent employee and is counted from the date of appointment to the current class held, consistent with provision 33.13 below plus any service in classes of equal or higher rank on the campus which has not been interrupted by a permanent separation.

Note: This means that seniority points in a particular classification include points calculated for time spent in a classification of "equal or higher rank" that hasn't been broken by a permanent separation (e.g., termination, resignation, retirement). For example, an SSP II who previously had been an SSP III and earned 50 seniority points while an SSP III would add those 50 seniority points to those earned as an SSP II. However, the points earned as an SSP II would not count toward seniority in the SSP III status.

The term "class of equal rank" as used in this Article shall mean a class of not more than one-half (1/2) step [approximately two and one-half (2-1/2) percent] above or below the maximum salary of the employee's current class.

Note: The maximum salary of a classification of "equal rank" must be within one of our former steps (approximately two and a half percent) of the maximum salary of an employee's current classification.

The term "class of higher rank" as used in this Article shall mean a class which has a maximum salary of more than one-half (1/2) step [approximately two and one-half (2-1/2) percent] above the maximum salary of the employee's current class.

Note: The maximum salary of a classification of "higher rank" must be more than one of our former steps (approximately two and a half percent) more than the maximum salary of an employee's current classification.

33.13 Seniority credit is counted from the first calendar month of appointment to the current classification held, or upon the return from leave without pay status (when such leave does not count for seniority credit pursuant to provision 33.15), if the appointment or return date is on or before the fifteenth (15th) calendar day of that month. Seniority credit is counted from the second calendar month of appointment to the current classification held, or upon the return from leave without pay status (when such leave does not count for seniority credit pursuant to provision 33.15), if the appointment or return date in the first calendar month is after the fifteenth (15th) calendar day in that month.

Note: If an employee is in compensable status on or before the 15th calendar day of a month, that month counts towards the employee's seniority points. But if the employee isn't in compensable status until after the 15th calendar day, the month does not count.

33.14 Seniority credit upon separation from a classification, or upon the commencement of leave without pay status (when such leave does not count for seniority credit pursuant to provision 33.15), shall terminate effective the end of the calendar month preceding the date of separation or leave if the date of separation is on or before the fifteenth (15th) calendar day of the month of separation. Seniority credit upon separation from a classification, or upon the commencement of leave without pay status (when such leave does not count for seniority credit pursuant to provision 33.15), shall extend until the end of the calendar month of separation or leave if the date of separation is after the fifteenth (15th) calendar day of the month of separation.

Note: If an employee leaves compensable status in a classification on or before the 15th calendar day of a month, that month does not count towards the employee's seniority points. But if an employee leaves compensable status after the 15th calendar day, the month does count.

33.15 All time spent in family care, military, disability, loan of an employee to another governmental agency or leave with pay status shall count toward the accumulation of seniority points. All other time spent in leave without pay status, as well as periods of suspension without pay, shall not count toward the accumulation of seniority points, however, such time shall not constitute a break in continuous service.

Note: This provision specifies which kinds of leave do or do not count towards an employee's seniority points. It's important to note that even leaves that do not count towards seniority points do not constitute a break in continuous service.

33.16 In the event a class is abolished or the use of the class restricted and a new class established in its place, all time served in the prior comparable class shall be counted as service in the new class.

Note: This provision addresses a situation that happens very rarely—a class being abolished or a restriction being placed on the use of a class and a new class being established in its place. The most notable example was the replacement, in the early 1980s, of the SAA/SAO classifications by the SSP series. As this section indicates, all time served in the "prior comparable class" counts as service in the new class.

Now you have enough information to calculate your own seniority points using APC's Calculator.

But first—Is Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer? If not, click on the icon below to download and install it for free. You'll need it to open and print the calculator.

Click Here for a Printable PDF Version of APC's Seniority Point Calculator.

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