When an ACSUM represented employee receives notice of
layoff,
s/he may have certain rights under the contract.These rights can include
taking a vacant position,
displacing or bumping someone with less seniority
and the right to being
recalled. If an employee has at least two years seniority
then s/he
may be able to bump someone. Bumping rights include displacing the
least senior person in
the affected employee's jobclassification, in another
job classification in which the
employee worked, or another job classification
in the employee's job
series. (The various job series in which one can
bump are in
Appendix H of the contract.)
For example, an Administrative Assistant could bump the
least senior AA1.
S/he could also bump the least senior Secretary, even if
s/he has never
been a Secretary. The AA1 may also bump the least senior payroll
technician if
s/he has worked in that job title. All of these bumps are within the
employee's status as a
part-time or full-time employee.HR will notify you of the
exact positions that you are
eligible to bump, if you have bumping rights.
In addition to bumping into another position, employees who
have received
notice of layoff may request that they be placed in a vacancy if there is one
available in their classification. If there is a vacancy in the same title, some
employees
prefer to take that vacant position rather than bumping
a less senior unit member.
When an employee is laid off, that employee has recall
rights to the old
position for up to two years. At the time of layoff, the employee must inform
management
that s/he wants to be recalled. When there are COLT unit vacancies,
laid off employees are
to be considered in the same manner as those who are working.
They retain their seniority rights for the
purposes of a vacancy.
There are some important points about the layoff procedure: An employee with
less than two years does not have bumping rights. Bumping rights are
stronger when an employee reaches four years of service. Bumping rights can
only be exercised at the campus the laid off employee works,
not from campus to
campus. The contract refers
to having the skills of the position into which you are eligible to bump.
It is important to note that an employee must notify
personnel/human resources
that s/he wants to bump within five business days of receiving a layoff
notice.
A laid off employee should do
this immediately. After management has been notified,
an employee can look at
the positions offered and see if they are
appropriate under the contract. You will be notified at the time you receive the layoff
notice,
which positions you may bump if you are eligible for bumping rights.
Soft money employees cannot be bumped and they cannot bump
other employees.
They can be recalled to their former position and go into
vacancies in the same title.
Anyone who is laid off should make sure that they get all
the information about their insurance
status and any other benefits.They should make sure that HR has their
correct mailing
address on file. If you would like to contact anyone within ACSUM leadership, visit
www.acsum.org for a complete list of contact information. If you would
like to communicate directly with other ACSUM members, our website has online
Forums that are designed specifically for this purpose. You can connect to
the forums by clicking on the "members" link on the website. This list is administered by the Associated COLT Staff of the University of
Maine (ACSUM), which is an affiliate of the Maine Education Association (MEA).
You can contact the list administrator by using the email address:
owner-meacsum@list.nea.org
Interested in joining ACSUM?
Click on the link below for the application form Join US
