European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 11, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 a a a the stars and stripes tuesday september 11,1990 rims rules of the Qamer if victim finds no Solace in beating Rush continued from Page 1 real Good shot at. It just takes time Quot said Joyce a seven year government worker. A i Tell you 90 Days is not a Long time to find  fortunately Joyce was Given More time a sort of a stay of execution. The head of the Community and family support Agency assigned Joyce to the entertainment Branch until the end of september pre Empting his original termination Date of june 15. In the meantime Joyce has made one trip to the states for Job interviews at his own expense. The interviews led to two government Job offers but both Are in limbo because of the Federal hiring freeze. Nevertheless Joyce plans to return to Boston in late september. Joyce s predicament did not result from troop draw Downs but from an organizational efficiency study. However troop cuts and dwindling budgets Promise to soon make if a household word in Europe. Some agencies such As the army corps of engineers european division already have passed on bad news to employees. Others Are studying ways they can trim their ranks As painlessly As possible. About 106,000 civilians Ork for the army in Europe while More than 12,500 work for the air Force. Joyce said that when his division chief broke the bad news to him he was under the false impression that he  be let go until he found another position. Joyce placement assistance programs Dod priority placement program Job referral program for appropriated fund career and career conditional employees. The program obligates defense department installations with vacancies Matching the skills and Grade of riffed workers to offer them to the workers. Local placement assistance system in which civilian personnel offices Contact local employers both government and private to locate acceptable employment for riffed appropriated fund workers. Office of personnel management displaced employee program service that refers displaced career and career conditional employees to government agencies for openings before other applicants on civil service registers. Office of personnel management inter Agency placement assistance program placement assistance for Federal career for career conditional appointments and excepted service employees with competitive status who face loss of jobs due to rims or closure of agencies. The goal of the inter Agency program is to help locate jobs before the workers Are separated. Excepted service employees who have no status can be referred Only to other excepted service positions. Enrolment is in four month periods. Reemployment priority list a hiring list of riffed workers in order of their retention credit. If jobs like the ones the workers were Laid off from open in their competitive area within a set period of time those on the list receive hiring priority. Non appropriated and appropriated fund systems use reemployment priority lists. Usa eur priority placement program a program that gives riffed non appropriated fund workers grades ua-5 and above hiring priority for army Naf vacancies in Europe. Safe placement assistance Quot Creek match a program that places overseas limited appointees and non appropriated fund employees who face separation because of base closures on the a pay scale. A when you re is appropriated fund coming Over from the states you feel like you have this Parachute or safety net a Joyce said. A if you were not going to be extended you would at least be on priority placement until you got placed. You sort of feel secure. All that goes out the window with a  had Joyce come to Europe with reemployment rights he could return to a amps Susan Harris the Job he left in the states. However that was not his Case. Joyce Learned that the . Government cannot assure him continued employment without such re employment rights. The governments Only obligation is to move his family Back across the Ocean and pay him Severance pay in accordance with his eligibility. He also was surprised to learn How retention registers work. Retention registers Are lists that rank like workers by factors such As seniority and Job performance. Joyce thought head be ranked against All Heidelberg area gs-12 business management analysts in his Job series. Instead just business management analysts with work duties similar to his were on the list. As it turned out Only one other person had duties identical to Joyce a and that person had More seniority. It pays to know How the personnel system works Joyce said. A you have to train yourself on the personnel regulations because there Are certain placement assistance that you re offered a Joyce said. A but if you done task the right questions you might not get the information at  personnel officials with . Army Europe civilian personnel division say workers can educate themselves about the ins and outs of rims now. Jittery employees also can make sure their personnel files Are in order because data from the files Are used to calculate their retention status. A my suggestion would be that they be concerned that their file is Complete and up to Date a says Tony Pinto chief of the Usa eur civilian personnel division Naf Branch. Workers should pay special attention to their service computation Date and performance appraisals. The service computation Date normally the workers first Day on a non appropriated fund or appropriated fund payroll is used to compute the workers length of service. Workers also will receive retention Points for successful performance. A it May be very Well that your file lacks one years performance rating that you have a copy of at Home in your personal file a Pinto said. A if that rating is better than satisfactory there a a Point to be made  the if regulations Call for a satisfactory rating to be awarded for any missing  of Naf employees help explain if appropriated funds editors note we be invented two civilian employees a Carl t. And Jane w. A to help explain How the convoluted if rules apply to major employee categories. Here Are their stories Carl t. Has worked full time As a gs-3 clerk typist for three years in a Bamberg procurement office. The closure of a finance office results in a reduction in Force that could Impact Carl. His first concern should be whether the affected office is in his a competitive  a competitive area determines the boundaries for Job Competition. Normally a competitive area includes All organizations or agencies served by one Usa eur or Safe civilian personnel office. Carlos competitive area would include All offices served by the Bamberg civilian personnel office. Since the co handles personnel actions for both the procurement and finance offices Carl could be affected. Carlos next worry should be whether any jobs identical or nearly identical to his were Cut in the finance office. If so he could lose his Iob to any of the three displaced workers if they have higher retention status. Personnel officials will consider work schedule full part time or intermittent pay Grade occupational specially code appointment authority work duties and whether workers Are competitive or excepted service when comparing positions. Such like workers Are lumped together in what they Call a competitive  As Luck would have it slots for three gs-3 clerk typists were Cut in the finance office. The slots All Bear the same 322 occupational specially code As Carlos they re All full time All excepted service with work duties similar to his. Therefore they share a competitive level. Carl a family member is in the excepted service category of government employees. Most family member hires in Europe Are excepted service although some hold competitive service appointments As Well. Competitive service normally includes those see of on Page 9non-appropriated funds Jane w. Has been a ua-5 caterer in a Frankfurt club for about three years. The bad news is that her club has been ordered closed and she received a 30-Day termination notice. Fortunately for Jane the club is one organization within what is called a non appropriated fund instrumentality Cafiso she will compete with other Naf workers for jobs. When an entire instrumentality is dissolved workers receive 60 Days notice and do not compete for jobs with employees from other Naf instrumental ties. The club is considered part of the military Community Nafi so Jane a competitive area will include All Naf organizations within the Community. Jane will be placed on a retention Register with others in her a competitive level a in her Case that Sall full time ua-5 caterers occupational specially code 1101, with similar work duties. The retention Register is set up in two groups. Jane would be in group 1 because she a completed her probationary period. Group 2 workers Are still on probation. When calculating Jane a retention score personnel officials will add up All her performance ratings giving her four Points for each outstanding three for each excellent two for satisfactory and one for minimally satisfactory. Jane will also receive one Point for each year of service with prorating for partial years. Although Jane a been with the club just three years Shell get five Points because she had worked in another defense department Naf Job for two years. Only regular full time and part time workers Are put on the retention registers. Intermittent on Call workers can be fired without notice temporary workers with seven Days notice. The person with the lowest retention score at the Bottom of the retention Register would be the first one Laid off. Group 2 workers a those on probation a lose their jobs before group 1 workers. Jane a score put her at the Bottom of the group 1 list. Since five jobs have been eliminated and there see Naf on Page 9