ARTICLE

12.

Section 1 - General

A. A detail is the temporary assignment of an employee to a different position for a specified period of time with the employee returning to his regular duties at the end of the detail. Details are intended only for the needs of the Department's work requirements when necessary services cannot be obtained by other desirable or practicable means.

B. Details of one (1) week or more shall be recorded and maintained in the Official Personnel Folder.

C. The following procedures shall apply when offering noncompetitive details of ten (10) consecutive workdays or more to both classified and unclassified positions:

1. The Department will canvass the qualified employees to determine if anyone wishes to be detailed. If the same number of volunteers as vacancies exist, they shall be selected.

2. If more employees volunteer than vacancies exist, the Department will select from the qualified volunteers. Seniority will be the selection criterion.

3. If there are no volunteers, then the least senior qualified employee(s) will be selected.

4. If there are fewer volunteers than vacancies, then the volunteers will be selected and additional persons will be selected as in Paragraph C3 in this Section.

5. Seniority shall be defined locally.

6. The Department will notify the Union of all details.

D. The procedures in Paragraph C in this Section shall apply except in the following circumstances:

1. When management can demonstrate that the position to which an employee must be detailed requires unique skills and abilities that are not possessed by any other qualified employee,

2. When a bona fide medical or operational emergency requires or precludes the detail of a particular employee, and

3. When the Department makes a detail to accommodate a substantiated medical or health problem.

E. Details of less than ten (10) consecutive workdays shall be on a fair and equitable basis, and procedures for such details will be subject for local negotiations.

F. For details outside of the duty station, a case-by-case analysis must be done comparing the distance from the old duty station to the employee's residence versus the distance from the new duty station to the employee's residence. When a significant difference exists, the employee should be given duty time for travel commensurate with the new duty station.

Section 2 - Temporary Promotions -Title 5

A. Employees detailed to a higher grade position for a period of more than ten (10) consecutive work days must be temporarily promoted. The employee will be paid for the temporary promotion beginning the first day of the detail. The temporary promotion should be initiated at the earliest date it is known by management that the detail is expected to exceed ten (10) consecutive work days. The ten (10) consecutive work day provision will not be circumvented by rotating employees into a higher-grade position for less than ten (10) days in order to avoid the higher rate of pay. For the purposes of this section, a General Schedule employee who performs the grade-controlling duties of a higher-graded position for at least 25% of his time, or a Wage Grade employee who performs higher-graded duties on a regular and recurring basis, shall be temporarily promoted.

B. Temporary promotions in excess of sixty (60) calendar days shall be filled through competitive procedures. Temporary promotions of less than sixty (60) days shall be made in accordance with Section 1 among qualified employees.

Section 3 - Restriction on Lower-Graded Duties

Should the requirements of the Department necessitate a detail to a lower-level position, this will in no way adversely affect the detailed employee's salary, classification, or position of record.

Section 4 - Representatives

Management will make every effort to avoid placing a Union representative on a detail that would prevent that official from performing her representational functions. The Department agrees to notify the appropriate Union office prior to placing any designated Union representatives on detail away from the representative's normal duty station.

Section 5 - Voluntary Reassignment

Employees seeking voluntary reassignments shall be entitled to prompt and fair consideration.

Section 6 - Shift Change and Relocation

The parties recognize that giving consideration to seniority promotes improved employee morale and productivity. However, the parties also recognize the paramount importance of effectively accomplishing the work. Employees may request to relocate from one area of the local installation to another (or from one shift to another) in the same position (PD#) within the same service with the same advancement potential. In filling such a vacancy, seniority will be considered and the request will be granted if the employee has the requisite skills and abilities, provided such relocation would be consistent with effective and efficient staffing. Management reserves the right to make the assignments based on other good faith considerations in assuring effective management of the work force.

Section 7 - Relocation Expenses

An employee whose duty station changes either involuntary or due to promotion shall be entitled to relocation expenses in accordance with regulations.

Section 8 - Voluntary Demotion/Downgrade

Prior to acting on an employee's request for a voluntary reduction in grade, the Department will assure that:

A. The employee has been fully apprised in writing about the effects of such an action, and

B. The employee has been given an explanation of other alternatives relevant to the particular case.

Section 9 - Assignments of Duties for Medical Reasons

Employees recuperating from serious illness or injury and temporarily unable to perform their assigned duties as certified by a physician may voluntarily submit a written request to their supervisor for temporary assignment to duties commensurate with the disability and the employee's qualifications. The Department may require that such requests be reviewed by a Federal medical officer for appropriate recommendations. The Department will consider such requests in accordance with applicable rules and regulations and medical recommendations. The Department will, to the extent feasible, temporarily assign the employee to an appropriate vacancy or duties and responsibilities within his own service/section commensurate with the employee's disability and qualifications. Employees will continue to be considered for promotional opportunities for which they are otherwise qualified.

Section 10 - Reassignments

A. Reassignments shall not be used as punishment, harassment, or reprisal.

B. The parties agree that reassignment is a subject more appropriate for local bargaining. General areas which should be addressed include but are not limited to: posting of job notices, submitting voluntary requests, consideration of requests, and notification of reassignments.

C. All leave previously requested and approved will be transferred with the employee.

Section 11 - Local Negotiations

The parties at the local level may negotiate additional procedures for details and reassignments.

Section 12 - Rotations

When the rotation of employees through higher-graded positions has the effect that compensation at the higher grade is avoided, the Department will comply with governmentwide regulations.