(a) An alternate is an employee who may be temporarily assigned to perform duties of a position above the employee's regular classification. The Toledo Civil Service Commission shall determine an employee's qualification to serve as an alternate. There is no duty to assign an alternate; however, an alternate may be assigned under the following circumstances:
(1) To replace an employee who is off for any reason.
(2) To fill a vacant position pending the making of a provisional or permanent appointment.
(3) To temporarily supplement the staffing level authorized in the budget.
(4) To provide training opportunities and credit as prescribed by the education and training program.
(b) When the decision by the management to use an alternate is made, one (1) of the top three (3) employees within that unit standing at the top of the eligibility list for the classification to be temporarily filled shall be chosen to serve as the alternate. If no employee within that unit is on the eligibility list, the temporary assignment shall be given to one (1) of the three (3) employees within that Division at the top of the eligibility list. Where a non-competitive list is used the temporary assignment shall be given to one (1) of the three (3) most senior qualified employees of first the unit and then the Division on the noncompetitive list.
(c) If there is no list available, one (1) of the top three (3) senior employees with approved alternate papers for the classification to be temporarily filled shall be chosen to serve as the alternate. If an employee's alternate papers have been filed but have not yet been acted upon by Civil Service at the time the position is to be filled, the Division Head may conditionally approve the alternate papers pending the determination by Civil Service. Such conditional approval shall only be applicable to positions in the Local 20 bargaining unit.
(d) In applying the Rule of Three set forth in sections (b) and (c) above, additional employees' names will not be added to the original three (3) employees until each of the original three (3) employees has been chosen for an assignment or has been chosen but refused the assignment.
(e) An alternate may not be assigned to an open position for more than sixty (60) work days unless the cause of such vacancy is covered under one of the sections of the agreement authorizing approved time off or unless the time limits are extended by the parties, the position then must be filled with a full time person rather than continue to use an alternate.
(f) When an employee is worked as an alternate, the employee shall be paid at the alternate rate of the position worked for a single compensated day off, providing the employee worked in the alternate position for three (3) of the five (5) workdays immediately preceding the single compensated day off. The employees shall be paid at the alternate rate of the position worked for more than a single compensated day off providing the employee worked in the alternate position for six (6) of the ten (10) work days immediately preceding the compensated days off to a maximum of one hundred twenty (120) work days.
(g) Overtime worked at alternate status may be elected as compensatory time and the difference between hourly rates will be paid with the pay period for the hours worked.