4-26: Seniority – Policy

Policy Overview

This policy describes provisions regarding seniority for Santa Fe Community College (SFCC or College) regular and term employees.

Scope and Applicability

This policy applies to all full- and part-time regular and term employees of SFCC.

Policy Statement

1. Only regular and term employees shall be eligible to accumulate seniority. Temporary, occasional, on-call, and student employees are not eligible to accumulate seniority.
2. Seniority is calculated from the date of hire for the most recent period of employment. If there is a break in service, which is a period of time regardless of length when employee is separated from employment with the College, the time prior to the break in service shall not be counted to calculate seniority.
3. Seniority is established to determine priorities in promotions and transfers when ability, skill, training, and other relevant qualifications are equal, as determined by the College with appropriate stakeholder participation. Nothing in this policy overrides the qualifications of the employee as the primary consideration in promotions, transfers, etc. (see Policy 4-31 Employment Classifications, for related definitions.)

Definitions

1. Break in Service Occurs when an employee’s employment relationship with the College ends regardless of the length of time before re-employment. Transfers, promotions, reassignments and similar movement from one position to another when the employee’s employment relationship with the College is continuous shall not be considered a break in service.
2. Date of Hire For the purposes of staff, date of hire is the first date on which the employee commences paid work in probationary status. For faculty, the date of hire is the first day that faculty are required to report prior to the beginning of a given semester. As an exception, the date of hire for faculty members whose contracts specify duties that may only be performed outside of the academic calendar, or for faculty members hired mid-semester, the date of hire is the first day the faculty member begins performing those duties.
3. Employee is any member of the college workforce: all staff (regular full-time, regular part-time, term, temporary, probationary, sensitive position); all student employees; all faculty (full-time, part-time, adjunct, probationary); all administrators, including interim; all contract employees.
4. Seniority Is an employee’s length of continuous employment at the College.

Policy Process

1. If a temporary employee becomes a regular or term employee with no break in service, seniority accumulation is adjusted retroactively to the beginning date of temporary employment.
2. Faculty seniority shall be calculated solely on time served as a faculty member.
3. Faculty seniority for those who serve as administrators shall be calculated solely on time served as a faculty member.
4. If a student employee, an occasional employee, or an on-call employee becomes regular or term, seniority accumulation begins on the date of regular or term employment.
5. An employee on approved extended leave without pay retains accumulated seniority, but additional seniority is not accumulated during the extended leave without pay.
6. The College considers seniority during reductions in force (RIF), after the criteria outlined in Policy 4-40 Special Circumstances Employment Actions have been met and performance and qualifications have been determined to be equivalent.
7. An employee who has been subject to reduction in force and who has been reinstated within one year retains accumulated seniority to the date of the separation (Policy 4-40 Special Circumstances Employment Actions).
8. A regular or term employee who has been terminated for any reason other than cause, but is rehired within one year, retains accumulated seniority to the date of termination.

Statement of Accountability and Responsibility

The President, through the Executive Director of Human Resources and Professional Development/EEO Officer or designee, shall be responsible for enforcing human resources policies and procedures. The Office of Human Resources shall work with the different departments and offices to comply with this policy and develop procedures that will enforce this policy regarding awareness, prevention, and remediation.

Authority

SFCC Policy 3-12 Faculty Qualifications

SFCC Policy 4-31 Employment Classifications

SFCC Policy 4-40 Special Circumstances Employment Actions
Policy Approval
SFCC Governing Board: 11/30/00

Revised and Governing Board approved: 4/24/02

Revised and Governing Board approved: 8/5/03

Revised and Governing Board approved: 12/13/17

Associated Procedures

• Seniority Policy – Procedures*