Article 25
Seniority
25.1 Definition
For purposes of this Agreement, seniority shall be defined as the length of an employee's continuous State service, whether part-time or full-time, from the date of original appointment in the classified service on a permanent basis. An employee who has resigned and who has been reinstated or reappointed in the service within one year thereafter, if such reinstatement or reappointment occurred prior to April l, 1985, and within three (3) years thereafter, if such reinstatement or reappointment occurred on or after April 1, 1985, shall be deemed to have continuous service for purposes of determining seniority. A period of employment on a temporary or provisional basis or in the unclassified service, immediately preceded and followed by permanent service in the classified service shall not constitute an interruption of continuous service for determining seniority nor shall a period of authorized leave without pay or any period during which employees suspended from their position pursuant to Section 80 or Section 80-a of the Civil Service Law.
25.2 Application
(a) In the event that more employees request the same vacation time off than can be reasonably spared for operating reasons, vacation time off will be granted to such employees who can reasonably be spared, in order of seniority.
(b) Shift and pass day assignments shall not be made for the purpose of imposing discipline. When the qualifications, training or any other factors which best serve the interest of the service to be rendered (including the subspecialities within the professional, scientific or technical services to be rendered) are equal, seniority will be a factor in the assignment of shift, pass days, overtime and voluntary transfers.
(c) When the qualifications, training or any other factors which best serve the interest of the service to be rendered (including the subspecialities within the professional, scientific or technical services to be rendered) are equal, seniority will be the factor in the assignment of shift and pass days for employees serving in nurse titles only. Provided, however, that nothing contained herein shall limit the development of local or agency labor/management procedures regarding the selection of shifts and pass days.
25.3 As soon as practicable in advance of the abolishment of any positions filled by permanent competitive class appointments, the State shall provide PEF with seniority lists of employees in the title(s) and agency(s) affected. It is understood by the parties that failure to comply with this provision shall not constitute a basis for preventing or delaying the job abolishments, nor shall failure to comply entitle displaced employees to any compensation or other monetary benefits they would otherwise not have been entitled to receive.