NAPE member Sam Jones is a Staff Care Technician II at the Western Nebraska Veterans Home in Scottsbluff. In December, Sam was told he needed to sign a letter acknowledging that he would be temporarily reassigned from the day shift to the evening shift in ten days. This didn’t seem right to Sam, so he called NAPE.
After discussing the situation with Sam, NAPE field staff informed him of his contractual rights. At a 24-hour facility like the Western Nebraska Veterans Home, employees can only be temporarily reassigned if they are the least senior qualified employee. Under the contract, these temporary reassignments are supposed to be reevaluated on a daily basis. Not only was Sam not the least senior qualified employee, but he was told the length of his temporary reassignment was indefinite.
After determining these two contract violations had occurred, NAPE field staff helped Sam file a grievance. After a hearing, the hearing officer agreed with NAPE that Sam’s unfair temporary reassignment violated the contract. As a result, the hearing officer awarded Sam his old shift back. Also, the hearing officer ordered that any further temporary reassignments must follow the contract.
NAPE is dedicated to ensuring that work assignments are given in a fair and equitable manner in compliance with the contract. If you believe that you’ve been incorrectly assigned, we highly encourage you to contact us right away so that we can look into your situation.