(a) Local 7 members shall be allowed to take a voluntary demotion into this Bargaining Unit provided they meet the preferred qualifications as outlined in the Class Specification for Communications Operator. In the event no one meets the preferred qualifications, then preference shall be given to Local 7 employees in accordance with Section 2115.46, “Vacancies”.
(b) A voluntary demotion is the movement by an employee's request from his permanent classification to a classification in a lower salary group that involves duties that the employee is qualified to perform.
(c) The voluntary demotion of permanent employees will be made by the City in accordance with the rules governing transfers and voluntary demotions as adopted by the Toledo Civil Service Commission. The following rules and procedure shall also apply.
(1) The employee must have completed one (1) year of service after the appropriate probationary period to be eligible for a voluntary demotion.
(2) The Appointing Authority may also initiate voluntary demotions for the good of the service apart from the procedure and priorities specified here and in Section 2115.46, “Vacancies”, provided, however, that no employee from outside the bargaining unit may take a voluntary demotion to the unit for the good of the service until the priorities for filling vacancies with Bargaining Unit employees have been exhausted.
(d) An employee voluntarily demoted as provided herein, shall be probationary for a period of four hundred and eight (480) actual work hours, after completion of on the job training. During this period either the employee or the City can request movement of the employee back to their former position. If the employee's former position has been filled, the employee filling that position may be removed and reinstated to their former position, and so forth.
(e) Bidding procedures established in Divisional Agreements shall take precedent over certification procedures that are the responsibility of the Civil Service Commission.
(f) Seniority shall be the determining factor in establishing priority for voluntary demotion requests unless the Transfer Board agrees to specific priority adjustments for the good of the service.
(g) Voluntary demotion requests are valid until December 31 of the year in which they are filed. After January 1 of each year, a new request must be filed with the Department of Human Resources.