2.15.040 Employment.
A. The general manager shall appoint each employee. It is the policy of the district to appoint the best qualified applicant for each position without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition or marital status.
The general manager shall establish selection procedures which shall ensure the employment of the best qualified applicants, including such factors as education, experience, skills, knowledge, personal qualifications, and potential for growth.
Each candidate selected for a probationary appointment shall be required to satisfactorily pass a medical examination conducted by a physician designated and paid by the district.
Medical examination shall include a drug screening test. Any applicant who tests positive for the presence of an intoxicating substance which is not medically prescribed for the applicant will be excluded from further consideration for employment for a period of one year.
Regular appointments by the general manager are hereby authorized by the board of directors unless otherwise prohibited.
The general manager may employ additional temporary employees for periods not to exceed 90 calendar days.
B. Internal Transfers, Promotions and Recruitment.
1. When a vacant position is posted on bulletin boards at the district, it shall be open to all qualified employees for a minimum of five days. Employees will apply with human resources by completing a district application before the listed closing date. Candidates will be screened for qualifications, attendance, knowledge and abilities by human resources and the supervisor of the open position. Only the top candidates that meet the qualifications of the position will be interviewed.
Candidates not selected for interview shall have three working days to appeal to the human resources director after notification. The director’s decision will be final.
If there are a minimum of three qualified candidates, the most qualified from those candidates will be selected for interview to fill the position. If, after interviewing, no candidate is selected, the candidates will receive written notification with reasons for their elimination from candidacy and the district will go to outside sources for additional candidates. If there are less than three qualified candidates to interview, the district may recruit from outside sources for additional candidates.
2. An employee who is promoted to a new position will serve a probation period as described in CVWDC 2.15.050(E)(1). An employee will be informed, at the time of transfer/promotion, whether the employee’s previous position will be eliminated or held vacant for a period of time. The employee will be allowed up to 40 working days during which time the employee may request to return to the employee’s previous position if it is still open, unless the employee was notified that their previous position will be eliminated. If there are no open positions, and the employee does not successfully complete the probation period, the employee may be terminated. During the 40 days, the employee will be notified before the previous position is filled. The employee shall be allowed two nights, not including Saturday or Sunday nights, to decide if they want to return to the previous position.
3. If a position or function is filled with a temporary worker for more than 90 calendar days, the position shall be deemed a new position to be filled by a regular appointed employee. Recruitment process shall be started within 45 days. Positions held vacant due to an employee on disability leave shall be exempt from this provision for 52 weeks.
4. Open positions above the first level in classifications that have a career path will be filled by promotion of individuals within the career path (example, automotive technician I to automotive technician II). Open first level career path positions and entry level positions will be posted for employees for a minimum of five working days before the closing date. Open positions in classifications that report directly to the general manager shall be filled or posted at the discretion of the general manager.
C. Zanjero Assignment. Zanjeros will be assigned a regular scheduled eight-hour day either with 10 days on duty and four days off or with five days on and two days off.
One zanjero II and one zanjero III will be assigned to standby duty. The zanjeros assigned to standby duty will have the use of a district vehicle for transportation to and from the district during the days they are scheduled for work and will have the responsibility to respond after hours with the district vehicle as needed by district activities. Other zanjeros will not have the use of a vehicle for transportation to and from the district unless approved by the department head during times of emergency or in the best interest of the district. Zanjeros are not required to carry a pager unless assigned standby duty.
Zanjeros are eligible for call-out pay, standby pay and shift differential in accordance with CVWDC 2.15.050(K), (L) and (O).
D. Control Operators. Control operators will be assigned to work on rotating schedules of 40 hours per seven-day period.
E. Standby Assignment (ASSET and ACVWDM).
1. Shall be designated by the general manager for periods considered to provide the most effective service, i.e., daily, weekly, periodic, monthly, etc. Employees assigned standby shall be on call at all times during the designated period and remain within 30 minutes’ travel time of the work station. Employees should be given as much notice as possible to changes in standby assignment.
2. Daily. Standby period shall be designated the period following the end of an employee’s regular eight-hour work period.
3. Weekly. Standby shall begin after the regular work day on the last day of the weekly work cycle and end at the beginning of the eighth work day. (See also CVWDC 2.15.050(K).)
F. Standby Assignment (CVWDEA).
1. Standby assignment shall be designated by the general manager for periods considered to provide the most effective service, i.e., daily, weekly, periodic, monthly, etc. Employees assigned standby shall be on call at all times during the designated period and remain within 30 minutes’ travel time of the workstation.
2. Standby employees will be issued district cellphones to use while on standby duty. Standby employees shall either answer, or respond promptly, to any service call. “Respond promptly” shall mean within 10 minutes of the district initiating the call, absent exceptional circumstances. Standby employees shall have a total of 40 minutes, from when the district initiates the call, to be at the job site, absent exceptional circumstances.
3. The 40-minute response period starts from when the district initiates the call, regardless of whether the standby employee answers the call or responds within the 10 minutes. Enforcement of these timelines shall be on the same basis as the district enforces tardiness. In addition to the compensation specified below for serving on standby assignment, standby employees shall receive call-out time in accordance with the above subsections, including any minimum call-out pay.
4. Employees should be given as much notice as possible to changes in standby assignment.
5. Daily. Standby period shall be designated for the period following the end of an employee’s regular eight-hour work period.
6. Weekly. Standby shall begin after the regular workday on the last day of the weekly work cycle and end at the beginning of the eighth workday.
7. Standby Time Pay. Standby time pay shall be at the regular hourly rate as follows:
a. One hour for each 16 hours following the regular workday.
b. Three hours for each 24-hour period (Saturday, Sunday and holiday).
c. Shall be in addition to any regular or overtime pay.
G. Salary Step Placement. While vacancies shall ordinarily be filled by recruitment at Step “1” of the established salary range, the general manager may recruit at higher steps with notification to CVWDEA if position is in the CVWDEA unit, or ASSET if position is in the ASSET unit, or ACVWDM if position is in the ACVWDM unit.
H. Employee Identification. Officers and employees shall be identified in a manner and form prescribed by the general manager.
All employees shall carry identification cards. Field personnel shall be furnished uniforms identified with the Coachella Valley Water District emblem.
I. Work Attire/Uniforms.
1. The general manager will determine which job classifications will be issued uniforms. All members of a classification issued uniforms will wear a complete set of trouser and shirt each working shift.
The classifications of electrician and electronic technicians are required to wear flash arc protection uniforms in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association, 70E of the Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, to perform their job. Failure to wear the uniform (no fault of the laundry service) will result in being sent home on the employee’s own time to change into the flash protection uniform.
Uniforms will be provided, maintained, and laundered at district expense. In cases where a complete set cannot be worn due to irregular service, missing or incomplete sets, or incorrect sizes, the employee’s immediate supervisor and stores must be notified immediately so corrective action can be taken. If an employee cannot wear a complete uniform, alternate clothing may be worn. Alternate clothing must be in good repair and not contain any slogan or logo. Alternate clothing must be appropriate for the work being done. Shorts and cutoffs are not appropriate at any time.
Uniform shirttails will be tucked in and shirt sleeves shall be buttoned, rolled or short sleeves.
Uniforms remain the property of the district and the cost of any not returned will be deducted from the employee’s last paycheck.
2. District shall allow union members to wear union pins or a union patch on district uniforms or other clothing normally worn while on duty. The union pin or patch must not cover the district logo or the employee’s name. The pin or patch will not contain any derogatory statement to the district or any individual or organization and will not be making any political statement.
3. District hat is the only authorized hat that may be worn while employees are performing their duties unless it presents a safety hazard or is replaced by a hard hat or other approved hat.
Exchanges, replacement of lost hats and requests for “other employee provided approved hats” shall be made to human resources.
4. Hair. Hair shall be neat and safe. Styles required are intended to avoid community controversy and permit the safe use of hard hats and respirators where necessary. In the proximity of rotating or reciprocating moving parts, hair shall be cut or controlled to avoid tangling.
5. Jackets. District jackets will be provided to all uniformed employees and will be considered part of the uniform. The jackets will be maintained and laundered at district expense.
Replacement for the jacket due to loss will be at the employee’s expense.
Alternate jackets may be worn due to safety hazards, but must be approved by the employee’s supervisor. Alternate jackets must be in good repair and free of logos and slogans. Alternate jackets may not be worn for electricians and electronic technicians.
The district jacket remains the property of the district and the cost of any jacket not returned will be deducted from the employee’s last paycheck.
J. Driver’s License. All employees are required to possess at the time of employment and throughout their employment a valid California driver’s license and acceptable driving record. Violations after employment may be cause for changing job assignments, salary reduction and/or dismissal. Driving a district vehicle with an expired, suspended or revoked license is cause for dismissal.
K. Communication. Oral and written English shall be required at a performance level providing for clear communication by radio and memo during emergency periods. (Ord. 1425.13 § 4, 2020; Ord. 1425.12 § 4, 2019)