Q&A What to do if
You’ve Been Laid Off
What are my rights?
If you’ve been laid off, you generally fall under one
of two possible categories. Either you are able to
appeal your layoff to the Civil Service Commission
(CSC) on the grounds that an administrative
error was made, leading to your unqualified layoff
(e.g. inaccurate reporting of your EPE score); or you
are eligible to appeal on the basis of your length
of service (8 years or more) as a Tier 2
non-classified employee.
What is the appeal process?
If you believe your case has merit based on one of
the criteria outlined above, visit the Layoffs section
of the HOPE website, http://www.hopetx.org/ to
download an intake form. If you do not have access
to a computer, you may call the HOPE office at (713)
403-8888 to request one via fax. You must sign and
return the intake form either by fax (713) 877-8087,
or by mailing it to the HOPE office, in order to have
your case reviewed.
Do I qualify for unemployment?
Generally, if you have worked in a full-time position for
at least a year, you may be eligible for unemployment
benefits. The circumstances surrounding individual
cases vary widely however, and the best resource
for determining eligibility is the Texas Workforce
Commission (TWC).
To apply for benefits, you may either call,
1(800) 939-6631, or visit the TWC website at:
http://ui.texasworkforce.org/
Additional unemployment resources are available
from the Layoffs section of the HOPE website.
For all additional questions, or to request a layoff appeal intake
form, please visit http://www.hopetx.org/ or call us at (713)
403-8888 Monday—Friday 9am to 5pm.
HOPE
TIPS DURING YOUR LAYOFF
• Pay attention to what you are
LOCAL 123
told in the dismissal meeting.
• Take notes.
• Ask questions.
• Request copies of any and all
paperwork you are given.
• Follow all instructions.
How does the 45-day notice work?
HOPE did not receive any concessions from the
City as to whether city employees would have to
work or not work during the 45-day notice period.
Rather, the City instructed department directors
to exercise discretion on this matter for a variety
of reasons. HOPE will vigilantly observe to ensure
inequalities within same departments, work sites,
and job classifications are not perpetrated.
What about exemptions?
All department exemptions to layoffs (wherein an
employee is retained, but should be laid off in accord
with the ordinance) can be appealed by the Union
to the MECC.The letters of Exemption will be made
available to HOPE and we will have a short window
of time to review and appeal. Any appeals by HOPE
will be based on the lack of objective criteria for
exemptions.