Information on Layoffs
City of Los Angeles Layoff Process
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Layoff FAQs
GENERAL QUESTIONS
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1. WHAT IS A LAYOFF?
A layoff is a separation from City employment resulting from lack of work, lack of funds, or abolishment of a particular position.
2. WHO DECIDES WHERE LAYOFFS WILL OCCUR AND HOW EXTENSIVE THEY WILL BE?
The Mayor releases a proposed budget on April 20th (or the 21st if the 20th is a weekend), in which the Mayor has the authority to add or eliminate positions. Thereafter, the City Council works to propose changes to the Mayor’s proposed budget. Before making their determinations, the Budget and Finance Committee of the City Council will hear from General Managers, CAO, CLA staff, and other stakeholders relative to the types of functions the City should or should not fund and how the funding decisions could impact City departments. After this consideration process is completed, the City Council may recommend amendments to the Mayor’s proposed budget, which the Mayor may or may not accept.
Once a budget is ultimately signed by the Mayor or approved by City Council, if it contains elimination of filled positions, a determination is then made regarding which class groups will be affected by the decisions to no longer fund certain positions. From there, the Personnel Department will begin to implement the layoff process set forth in the City Charter and the Civil Service Rules.
Click here for the current budget consideration schedule.
3. WHAT IS A CLASS GROUP?
A class group is all the positions in a class in a particular department. For an employee facing layoff, this includes all positions created from that class group following the employee’s regular appointment. (This would not apply to those who had changed their status class, such as transferring to another class through a Charter Section 1014 transfer.)
4. HOW IS MY LAYOFF SENIORITY DETERMINED?
An employee receives layoff seniority credit for the length of continuous service in the class in which the layoff will occur and in all higher classes since the employee’s regular appointment to that class. (Absences for which seniority is not accrued, such as an unpaid leave of absence more than seven days (56 cumulative hours), are deducted from your credit.)
For instance, an employee received appointments to a Senior Management Analyst position in Department A as well as Department B. That employee would receive layoff seniority credit for the time in both departments regardless of pay grade.
5. WHAT IS DISPLACEMENT SENIORITY?
Displacement seniority is similar to layoff seniority, except that it is calculated according to the class group. Displacement seniority is only used to determine if you are eligible to displace someone else in a particular class group or to determine whether or not you could be displaced by someone else who is being laid off or displaced. (Absences for which seniority is not accrued, such as an unpaid leave of absence more than seven days (56 cumulative hours), are deducted from your credit.).
For instance, an employee was laid off as a Senior Management Analyst from Department A. They are eligible to displace to Department B as a Senior Management Analyst. That employee would receive displacement seniority credit only for the time in Department B regardless of pay grade.
The displacement process will continue until a displaced employee is identified with no displacement rights.
LAYOFF PROCESS
6. IF THERE IS TO BE A LAYOFF IN MY CLASS GROUP, HOW WILL I KNOW WHETHER OR NOT I WILL BE LAID OFF?
The Personnel Department is responsible for preparing layoff seniority lists for the affected department(s), including the order that employees are to be laid off. The affected department(s) will then notify the employee(s) who will potentially be impacted as soon as possible and prepare layoff documents.
7. WILL IT BE POSSIBLE FOR ME TO BE LAID OFF EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE EMPLOYEES IN MY DEPARTMENT WHO WERE HIRED AFTER ME?
It’s possible, but will depend on how extensive the layoff is to be in your class group. You should be aware, however, that if you are on an emergency or limited appointment in the affected class group, these employees may be the first to be terminated prior to beginning a layoff of employees with regular appointments.
8. WHO IS GOING TO BE LAID OFF FIRST?
The first person laid off will be the employee with the least layoff seniority in the class group where the layoff is being made. If two or more employees have the same amount of layoff seniority, the order of the layoff will be determined by the Department (the appointing authority).
9. HOW WILL I KNOW WHAT MY DISPLACEMENT RIGHTS ARE?
When an employee is laid off, the employee will receive a notice from the main Personnel Department regarding their displacement rights as soon as those rights have been determined. Any departments to which the employee has displacement rights are also notified.
An employee may elect to displace to any class and any department in which the employee has displacement rights or may waive any of those specific rights. Without an election by an employee, displacement rights are first to the highest position held. If the employee has held positions in the same class in more than one department, the first displacement would be to the department where the employee has the most displacement seniority.
10. HOW CAN I MAKE CORRECTIONS TO MY EMPLOYEE JOB HISTORY (EJH) AND/OR UNPAID LEAVES IF MY INFORMATION IS NOT CORRECTLY REFLECTED IN WORKDAY?
Please inform your supervisor and department HR of the corrections that will need to be made to your EJH and/or unpaid leaves.
11. WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS IF I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT MY LAYOFF AND/OR DISPLACEMENT SENIORITY WERE CALCULATED ACCURATELY?
You will be able to appeal the calculations to the Civil Service Commission per Charter Section 1015(f).
12. WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON’T GET DISPLACED TO THE DEPARTMENT YOU SELECTED AS YOUR FIRST CHOICE? DO YOU LOOSE OUT ON BEING DISPLACED TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS WHERE YOU HAVE DISPLACEMENT SENIORITY?
If you are unable to displace into the class group you initially selected, then displacement seniority will be calculated for your subsequent choices. If no other choices were made then calculations will be performed for the class groups in which you have the greatest displacement seniority.
13. WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU CHOOSE TO DISPLACE TO THE DEPARTMENT WHERE YOU HOLD THE LEAST AMOUNT OF SENIORITY CREDITS?
Displacement seniority will be calculated for this class group. If you do not have enough displacement seniority to displace anyone then displacement seniority will be calculated for your subsequent choices. If no other choices were made then calculations will be performed for the class groups in which you have the greatest displacement seniority.
14. IF YOU ARE DISPLACED TO A LOWER CLASS, WILL YOUR CURRENT SALARY BE AFFECTED?
Yes, your current salary may be impacted when displacing to a lower-level classification. However, City Charter Section 1015b allows individuals to displace back to the highest paygrade they previously held prior to leaving that class group.
15. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR SENIORITY CREDIT IS THE SAME AS ANOTHER EMPLOYEE IN THE SAME CLASS GROUP?
Civil Service Rule 8.2 contains a provision for situations where employees have an equal amount of seniority credits. In such cases, the decision regarding the order of layoff is left to the appointing authority.
16. DOES PAY GRADE AFFECT DISPLACEMENT SENIORITY?
Pay grades are not considered when determining layoff or displacement decisions. Instead, the focus is solely on the class group to which an employee belongs, which may contain many pay grades.
17. HOW IS LAYOFF SENIORITY OR DISPLACEMENT CREDIT CALCULATED FOR STAND ALONE CLASSIFICATIONS?
The same process would apply: layoff seniority will be calculated for individuals with civil service appointments and determine their displacement rights accordingly.
18. WILL PAID TIME OFF OR A BREAK IN SERVICE AFFECT MY LAYOFF SENIORITY AND DISPLACEMENT CREDITS?
No, only unpaid leave will be deducted over 7 days (56 cumulative hours).
19. ARE EMPLOYEES WITH ‘LESS’ CITY EXPERIENCE MORE LIKELY TO BE DISPLACED, WHILE THOSE WITH ‘MOST’ CITY EXPERIENCE ARE MORE LIKELY TO MAINTAIN THEIR CURRENT POSITION?
This will depend on the class group since layoffs and displacements can possibly impact employees with varying degrees of experience.
20. DOES AN EMERGENCY APPOINTMENT OR HALF-TIME STATUS COUNT TOWARDS SENIORITY?
You are considered to be on protective leave if you held a civil service appointment prior to accepting an Emergency Appointment or a half-time position. For example, if you were a Personnel Analyst and then received an Emergency Appointment to Senior Personnel Analyst, your time as an Emergency Appointed Senior Personnel Analyst would revert back to your Personnel Analyst classification for seniority purposes.
21. CAN YOU FIND OUT WHAT YOUR CURRENT DISPLACEMENT SENIORITY IS OVER OTHERS IN YOUR CURRENT JOB CLASS?
This information is not currently available. Relevant details will be shared if and when individuals are identified for layoff or displacement.
22. IS THERE AN EXPECTED DATE FOR LAYOFFS TO BEGIN? HOW MUCH TIME NOTICE WILL BE GIVEN PRIOR TO LAYOFFS?
The Mayor and City Council will determine the effective date and notification timeline of the layoffs. In the past, employees were notified within two days and removed from the payroll two weeks from the date of the notice.
23. IF YOU WERE HIRED THROUGH AN OPEN LIST AND HAVE ONLY HELD ONE CIVIL SERVICE CLASS, WILL YOU HAVE DISPLACEMENTS RIGHTS TO A LOWER LEVEL CLASS?
You must either have status in or have been appointed to the lower-level classification in order to have displacement rights.
24. HOW ARE EMPLOYEES HIRED THROUGH THE TLH PROGRAM AFFECTED BY LAYOFFS AND DISPLACEMENT RIGHTS?
This will depend on when and where the employee was hired. For instance, the Vocational Worker classification is an exempt position, and therefore, not eligible for placement on a reserve list. However, if an individual is hired as an Assistant through any phase of the Targeted Local Hire program, that position is part of the civil service classification. These civil service positions may be eligible for the reserve list, provided the employee successfully completes the probationary period.
25. IF AN EMPLOYEE IS ON FMLA AND A POSITION WITHIN THE CLASS GROUP IS SLATED FOR ELIMINATION, DOES FMLA PROTECT THE EMPLOYEE FROM A POTENTIAL LAYOFF?
No, FMLA does not protect the employee since the employee is still part of the affected class group.
26. WHAT IF MY POSITION IS SLATED FOR LAYOFF, BUT I AM ELIGIBLE FOR RETIREMENT? WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?
Although your position may be slated for layoff, the actual individuals laid off or displaced may be other individuals occupying other positions within your department with less seniority. However, if you are identified to be laid off or displaced, you can either be laid off or displaced or seek retirement if you are eligible. For more information on retirement, go to https://www.lacers.org/frequently-asked-questions
RESERVE LIST, REINSTATEMENT AND RESTORATION TO ELIGIBLE LISTS
27. IF I CANNOT DISPLACE ANYONE IN ANY POSITION, IS MY NAME PLACED ON A RESERVE LIST?
If you are laid off, your name will be placed on a department reserve list whether or not you can displace to another position in that class. You retain rights to a position in that class in that department.
Your ranking on the department reserve list is determined by the amount of layoff seniority you have at the time of layoff. (The highest-ranking person on this list will have worked the longest in that class, and all higher classes, since their regular appointment to the class.) Your name will remain on the department reserve list until you receive an appointment from the list or will be removed after you’ve been absent from City service more than five years. And as previously stated, the department will not be able to fill a position in that class group until this list is exhausted.
Your name is also placed on a general reserve list. A general reserve list is a combination of all reserve lists from all departments, except the department requesting certification of a list. So you will never be on a general reserve list for a department from which you have been laid off since you are already listed on the department reserve list for that class group.
28. WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE WHICH RESERVE LIST I AM ON?
Whenever a department is going to fill a position in a class where reserve lists exist, they certify those lists in the following order: 1) the department reserve list; 2) the promotional list for that class, established through the Civil Service examination process; 3) the general reserve list; and 4) the open list of eligible candidates for that class, again, established through the Civil Service process. Only the department reserve list requires any vacancy in that class to be filled with the first available person on the list. Candidates to fill vacancies from any of the other above identified lists are selected using the rule of three whole scores.
29. IF I AM LAID OFF WHILE ON PROBATION, CAN I BE ADDED TO THE DEPARTMENTAL OR GENERAL RESERVE LISTS?
No, in order to be added to the departmental or general reserve lists you must have completed probation per Charter Section 1015(d). However, you may seek reinstatement to the eligible list within 5 days of your separation date if the eligible list you were appointed from is still active. The reinstatement form can be found here.
30. IF I COMPLETED PROBATION, CAN I SEEK RESTORATION TO ELIGIBLE LISTS AT A LATER DATE?
Yes, restoration requires completion of probation in the class and separation of three years or less at the time of the request. It also requires the approval of the appointing authority of the department in which you had served in this class. The restoration form can be found here.
31. DO DEPARTMENTS HAVE TO HIRE FROM THE GENERAL RESERVE LIST BEFORE THEY GO TO THE OPEN LIST?
Yes, Departments need to clear the General Reserve List before they certify the open list
EXEMPT OR NON-CIVIL SERVICE APPOINTMENTS
32. DO EXEMPT OR OTHER NON-CIVIL SERVICE POSITIONS HAVE THEIR LAYOFF AND DISPLACEMENT SENIORITY CALCULATED?
No, Charter Section 1015 and Civil Service Rules only apply to regular civil service appointments.
33. IF MY EXEMPT APPOINTMENT IS ENDED AND I HAVE A ONE-DAY APPOINTMENT, CAN I RETURN BACK TO THAT POSITION?
Yes, you are considered on a protective leave of absence if you have not had a break in service per Charter Section 1001(e) and CSC 7.8(d). Probation will need to be served if you are able to return to your one-day appointment. A vacancy or sub-authority will need to be available in order to prevent a layoff at the returning department. Please note that one-day appointees are considered a part of the class group at the department they received a one-day appointment. It is possible that you can be laid off or displaced on paper and laid off at a later date if you were to return to that department.
34. ARE THERE LAYOFF CALCULATIONS FOR PER DIEM STAFF?
If the Per Diem staff have received a civil service appointment then their seniority will be calculated. If not, there will be no calculations performed.
35. WILL I RECEIVE SENIORITY FOR MY PART-TIME YEARS OF SERVICE?
Part-time years would not count towards layoff or displacement seniority unless there was a prior civil service appointment from an eligible list.
POST LAYOFF SUPPORT
36. IF I’M LAID OFF, WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?
If you have held positions in that class in other departments or your current department, you may elect to displace (replace) an employee in that class, based on the amount of your displacement seniority. If you have only held a position in the class group in which the layoff is being made and you are laid off, your name will be placed on a departmental and general reserve list. The department must first make appointments from the departmental reserve list before filling any future vacancies in that class group.
37. ARE THERE SEVERANCE PACKAGES AVAILABLE IF I AM IDENTIFIED TO BE LAID OFF?
There are no severance packages available if you are laid off. However, you may be entitled to payouts such as a vacation or banked paid over time. For more details please refer to the LAAC.
