# Civil service seniority (transfers)



## Revereamg (Feb 5, 2009)

I have a question about department seniority and i want to know if i would have a chance to sucessfully appeal something. 

2 guys got onto my police depatment while i was in the police academy. one was a transfer from boston housing police, the other was a reserve that pestered the major nonstop until they hired him full time. basically, neither was civil service.

anyways, they got hired while i was in the reading police academy.

the question is, who should have seniority in the department ? they have seniority right now. is that the way it should be ?


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## OfficerObie59 (Sep 14, 2007)

Department seniority should be distinguished from civil service seniority.

In my department, your situation has shown itself may of times, and my department does the same thing yours does; most all dept. seniority starts from your academy graduation date. However, my CS seniority began the day I started the academy.

Likewise, I have dept. seniority over a civil service transfer with eight more years on the job from another department. While I have shift preference and the tie breaker on details, my job gets cut first in the event of layoffs. Such is also the case for demotions when someone re-enters the patrolman's union. 

To answer your question depends on many factors unique to your dept., CBA and policy included. Just telling you what my dept. does.


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## SgtAndySipowicz (Mar 17, 2008)

OfficerObie59 said:


> Department seniority should be distinguished from civil service seniority.
> 
> In my department, your situation has shown itself may of times, and my department does the same thing yours does; most all dept. seniority starts from your academy graduation date. However, my CS seniority began the day I started the academy.
> 
> ...


Just to confirm what you wrote above..... if Officer A was hired by a CS department and was then sent to an academy and then Officer B is hired as a "lateral transfer" from another CS department a year later, A would be laid off before B even though he was hired before B (because B has more CS time overall)??? If this is true then Officer A is getting screwed in my opinion. Department seniority, in my opinion, should be what is considered when layoffs come around. How is that fair to the guy with more time with that department???


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## Kem25 (Aug 7, 2007)

Another question....In the awful event of layoffs does a department use civil service or department senority? I know in our CBA it says the layoffs will be done by department senority....I am just curious if anybody has gone through this.


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## j809 (Jul 5, 2002)

You shouldask your union rep or call the business office for your union to get these answers, not masscops.


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## 94c (Oct 21, 2005)

Revereamg said:


> I have a question about department seniority and i want to know if i would have a chance to sucessfully appeal something.
> 
> 2 guys got onto my police depatment while i was in the police academy. one was a transfer from boston housing police, the other was a reserve that pestered the major nonstop until they hired him full time. *basically, neither was civil service.*
> 
> ...


Do you work for some kind of combination civil service/ non civil service department being run by a Major?


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## irish937 (Sep 13, 2005)

After 3 years laterals regain their senority ONLY for layoffs. My question for the poster who's collective bargaining agreement says that departmental senority will be used for layoffs...how can a CBA override statute? If your department is covered under chapter 31, layoffs are specifically addressed. I don't think the CBA would stand up if challenged. The question regarding senority is vague. The answer is, like everything else in civil service, it depends. The usual rule of thumb is your civil service date of hire, but there could be other factors.


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## 94c (Oct 21, 2005)

Kem25 said:


> Another question....In the awful event of layoffs does a department use civil service or department senority? I know in our CBA it says the layoffs will be done by department senority....I am just curious if anybody has gone through this.


Our department once used academy final scores as department seniority.

Now that we are facing layoffs, the original civil service scores rule.

Being a delegated community, when I got on the department my seniority list was in alphabetical order.

We are in the process of getting a "layoff list" because the way it's been explained is that the civil service standing list is the same list that has to be used for layoffs.


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