Recall information for all laid-off teachers

If you have moved or changed your address, notify the district immediately so that your recall notification will be sent to the correct address.  Notification is sent by registered, certified or overnight mail to the address listed in the district’s files. If you fail to report to your work  location at the date and place indicated on the recall notice, you could be placed at the bottom of the recall list or you could lose your job.
If you will out of town or away from home for an extended period, have someone check your mail or notify the district of the address where you can be reached. The district should also be notified immediately of any change in your telephone number because the district often backs up recall letters  with  phone calls.
The employee is responsible for notifying the district immediately of an address change.

FAQs about Layoffs

DFT members have asked a number of questions about the impending layoffs announced by the DPS. Following are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. If you have other questions or concerns, please call the DFT at 313-875-3500 and speak to the Labor Relations Administrator who covers your school.

If I received a lay-off notice, does that mean I will definitely lose my job?

Just because you receive a notice, you will not necessarily lose your job. In fact the DFT anticipates that most of the notices will be rescinded before they take effect. The district always sends out more notices than necessary. Be calm. Do not panic. Call your DFT Labor Relations Administrator if you think your name does not belong on the list or if you just want to talk about the situation.

This is yet another example of divide and conquer tactics by a district that clearly is not up to the challenge of running a major school system.

During previous layoffs about 200 teachers avoided being laid off by agreeing to teach special education for a full year. Is this program still available?

We plan to discuss it soon with the district. Special Education remains a critical shortage area, and we need certified teachers in those classrooms.

How do I apply for unemployment benefits?

Claims can be filed on the Internet at www.michigan.gov/uia   from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Claims can also be filed over a touch-tone phone at 1-866-500-0017.

If I am laid off, how long will my health insurance last?

The district will pay health, dental and life insurance benefits through Oct. 5, 2007.  

What is the difference between seniority, service time and pay level?

Seniority is the total accumulated contract service and/or permanent assignment service you have in the DFT bargaining unit in any DPS school since your most recent date of appointment. Seniority for DFT members carries from one job classification to another when a transfer in job classification occurs – i.e. from school social worker to teacher. (See the Contract: Page 31, Article D Paragraphs 1 and 2.)

Service Time is the number of years that you have been working for a public school system in the State of Michigan regardless of the position. Service time is used in determining the amount of your pension from the Retirement System.

Salary level is the pay step upon which your pay is based. New teachers can receive salary-step credit for teaching in another district, serving in the military or working 180 days in substitute service in the DPS.

Are the layoffs based on total time someone has worked for the district or on the total time someone has worked in the DFT bargaining unit?

The district determines the disciplines that are to be cut. Within those disciplines, layoffs are based on system-wide seniority in the DFT bargaining unit. Remember: your step level on the pay scale may not be the same as your seniority in the DFT.

I am paid at the 4^th-step, but I have been a contract teacher with the district for two years. Do I have four years’ seniority?

No. You have two years’ seniority.

What exactly is bumping?

Bumping is a process that teachers can use to avoid layoff. Before you can bump (claim the position of another teacher), you must be certified to teach in that area and you must have more system-wide seniority than the teacher with the least seniority within the discipline. (See the Contract: Page 36, Article XII, Section G, Paragraph 3.)

If I turn down a job as a substitute in the Detroit district can I still return with the same seniority?

Yes, as a laid-off teacher you return with the seniority you accrued before leaving.

What happens to my seniority while I am laid off?

Your seniority remains the same. However, you do not gain seniority during a layoff.

What happens to my seniority and pay level if my layoff is rescinded or I am recalled for start of the next semester?

Your seniority and pay level would not be affected. Your salary/seniority status would be the same as if you had not been laid off.

As a certified contract teacher, do I automatically have priority for placement over non-certified substitutes?

Yes, for general substitute service and for areas in which no certified contract teacher is available, and for teachers on a leave of absence.

My principal doesn’t want to lose me. Can my school administrator save my job, even though I received a lay-off notice?

No. Your employer is the School District of the City of Detroit, not the school where you work. To prevent favoritism, layoffs are based on your seniority in the entire DFT bargaining unit. Individual principals cannot circumvent the lay-off procedures.

I work at a CEO school. Do I fall under the same guidelines as DFT members in other schools?

Yes.

If I decide to take a job as a substitute, what will my pay and benefits be?

The maximum daily pay rate for Category III Substitutes (that is how you should be classified) is $140.00. Substitutes also receive full-family health, dental, optical and life insurance as well as 10 sick days.

I accumulated sick days as a contract teacher. If I become a substitute teacher can I use the sick days I accumulated as a contract teacher?

No. Teachers working as substitutes while they are laid off may not use the sick days accumulated as contract teachers (See Contract:  Page 36, Article XII, Section G, Paragraph 8.)

 I believe my name was mistakenly placed on the list. What should I do?

Call the District’s Human Resources Office at 313-873-7100, or call the DFT at 313-875-3500 and speak with the Labor Relations Administrator for your school.

Since Building Reps get Super Seniority, can I avoid being laid off by becoming a Building Rep?

No. Building Reps shall be considered by reason of their position to have top seniority within their building and within their discipline for the purpose of transfer and assignment of duties. Super Seniority does not apply to layoffs (See Contract: Page 31, Article XII, Section D, Paragraph 3.)