A.
Defined. The Classified Service shall include all non-elective officers, full time and regular part-time employees of the City and appointees to all positions now or hereafter created except the Chief of Staff to the Mayor, the Board of Education's Director of Facilities, the Board of Education's Paraprofessionals and certified teachers and staff, those retained to make or conduct a temporary or special inquiry, task, study or investigation, and any persons employed on a temporary basis by the City.
1.
Non-certified employees assigned to the Board of Education: Transition Provision Effective July 1, 2022. Non-certified employees working at the Board of Education shall be Board of Education employees and no longer included in the City's Classified Service after June 30, 2022.
a.
Retention of Status and Benefits. Non-certified personnel working at the Board of Education who were unionized as of June 30, 2022, with the City will retain unionized status and all non-certified employees working at the Board of Education, including non-bargaining employees, will retain benefits in existence on June 30, 2022 unless and until otherwise negotiated.
b.
Role of the Board of Education. The Board of Education will have sole and exclusive control over the appointment of and wages, hours, and the conditions of employment for all non-certified staff working at the Board of Education after June 30, 2022, except as provided herein.
i.
After June 30, 2022, the job duties and responsibilities of the non-certified employees working at the Board of Education that existed prior to June 30, 2022, shall remain in effect and be recognized by the Superintendent.
ii.
Thereafter, it will be the duty of the Superintendent to seek approval from the Board of Education on any changes made to the duties and responsibilities of the non-certified positions working at the Board of Education, including the compensation and minimum qualifications of said positions.
iii.
Any negotiation of benefits on behalf of the non-certified employees working at the Board of Education that occurs after June 30, 2022, will be negotiated with the Superintendent or designee and ratified by the Board of Education except that insurance and pension benefits must be negotiated with the Mayor and ratified by the Common Council.
iv.
The negotiation of insurance and pension benefits will occur collaboratively.
v.
Non-certified employees working at the Board of Education after June 30, 2022, who are eligible to receive a pension, will be considered City employees for pension purposes and continue to be part of the City's pension plan.
vi.
After June 30, 2022, the Board of Education may only create new non-certified positions, add additional employees to existing non-certified job classifications, or reclassify non-certified positions with financial approval by the Common Council.
B.
The Classification Plan of the City. It shall be the duty of the Mayor to cause to be prepared a statement of the duties and responsibilities of each position in the Classified Service, the compensation pertaining thereto and of the minimum qualifications for such positions. These statements shall comprise the Classification Plan of the City which shall become effective upon approval by a Majority Vote of the Common Council and which may be amended by the Council, either upon the recommendation of the Mayor or upon the initiative of the Council itself.
C.
New or Additional Classified Service Positions. New or additional positions in the Classified Service may be created and changes in the duties and responsibilities of existing positions may be made by amendment of the Classification Plan by a Majority Vote of the Common Council upon recommendation of the Mayor or upon the initiative of the Council itself.
D.
Personnel Rules. The Mayor shall also cause to be prepared a set of amendments to the personnel rules under the Plan, which shall be reviewed or revised at least every four (4) years and which shall provide, among other things, for:
1.
The method of holding competitive examinations;
2.
Administration of the classification plan;
3.
Probationary period of employment;
4.
Hours of work;
5.
Vacations;
6.
Sick leaves and other forms of absences; and,
7.
Such other rules as may be necessary to provide for an adequate and systematic procedure for the handling of the personnel affairs of the City.
If the Mayor does not cause the personnel rules to be reviewed every four (4) years, then the Common Council may initiate, by Majority Vote of the Common Council, the review of the personnel rules. Such rules and amendments thereto shall become effective upon approval by a Majority Vote of the Common Council (or, upon a stricter standard as may be adopted by the Common Council) and being filed with the City/Town Clerk by the Mayor and copies of such rules and amendments thereto shall be provided for all members of the Classified Service. |
E.
Employment Contracts for Classified Service Employees. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent members of the Classified Service from entering into a contract with the City for the purpose of establishing working conditions, wages and other conditions pertaining to the continuance and termination of employment.
F.
Regular Part-Time Employee defined. A regular part-time employee of the City shall mean any person who is employed a minimum of twenty (20) hours per week for at least eight (8) months of a twelve (12) month calendar year.
G.
Equal opportunity, diversity, equity, affirmative action and inclusion. It shall be the policy of the City to maintain a Classified Service; specifically, a merit- based system that will assure recruitment of the best available persons to appointment to vacant positions, continue training and evaluation of employees and bargain fully with the collective bargaining representatives of employees. Moreover, the City is required to provide equal opportunity to all qualified applicants with respect to initial employment and equal opportunity to all employees with respect to advancement and general working conditions regardless of whether any persons are members of a "protected class" as recognized and defined by the discrimination and civil rights laws of the United States and/or State of Connecticut now existing, or as amended in the future and regardless of whether any person has been arrested for or convicted of a crime ("justice-impacted individuals"). Moreover, no officer or employee of the City, shall be appointed, discharged, reduced in rank or pay, removed, or in any way favored or discriminated against because of their status in any "protected class nor will any person be rejected from City employment due to his or her status as a "justice-impacted individual" unless said prior record is in conflict with the necessary duties and responsibilities required by the sought after position or unless the law so requires. The City shall delineate the "protected classes" by Ordinance, from time to time, as necessary.
1.
The Plan. City administrators responsible for equal opportunity and diversity management and human resources, in consultation with the Affirmative Action Monitoring Committee or a successor entity, shall regularly develop and maintain a comprehensive and systematic diversity, equity, affirmative action and inclusion plan which will assure equal opportunity and a fair chance in recruitment, selection and retention, job structure, promotion policies and training to improve job performance and upward mobility, including any related procedures and practices, including performance appraisals and employee review in accordance with best practices in the human resource management.
2.
Approval of the Plan. Said plan shall be reviewed by the Mayor submitted to the Common Council and be deemed effective upon approval by said Council.
3.
Exception. The sole exception to these protections is that Chief of Staff who by the terms of the Charter serves at the pleasure of the Mayor may be subject to employment decisions based on their political opinion or affiliation.