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Commission denies ex‑employee Dennis Bach’s request to restore prior service credits
Summary
The commission voted to deny Dennis Bach’s request to have prior service time restored after his 2021 discharge and 2021 rehire, citing city policy that rehired employees who were discharged do not receive restored accruals.
The Board of City Service Commissioners denied a request Sept. 9 from Dennis Bach to restore prior service credits from his earlier city employment, concluding that his 2021 discharge and subsequent rehiring do not entitle him to retroactive accruals.
Bach, identified in the record as a locator technician in the Department of Public Works' infrastructure and transportation section, told the commission he believed a 2021 rehiring letter restored his full service credits. "I was granted rehire with complete service credit restoration," he said in an email summarized to the commission; at the meeting he said he did not recall receiving a confirming letter in writing.
Department staff and Human Resources representatives told the commission Bach had been discharged in February 2021 and subsequently rehired Nov. 29, 2021. Shannon Goodwin of DPW Administrative Services and Dan Thomas of DPW told commissioners that because Bach was discharged rather than reinstated in good standing, his accrued vacation and other benefits were not carried forward at rehiring under department practice and the rehire policy in effect. Goodwin said rehired employees start anew for accruals in PeopleSoft unless a department‑supported reinstatement is granted and approved by the commission. Thomas said DPW had given Bach special consideration in allowing a reapplication but did not treat his case as a reinstatement that would restore accruals.
The panel considered the record, including a benefits‑upon‑rehire policy dated April 22, 2022, earlier correspondence from union representation requesting a waiver of a one‑year reapplication restriction, and the employee's discharge documentation. Commissioner Cleary moved to deny Bach's request for reconsideration of benefit accruals; a second was recorded and the motion passed with all commissioners voting yes.
Why it matters: Restored service credits affect vacation accruals, retirement calculations and other employee benefits. The commission’s decision confirms the city's application of its rehiring and benefits policy in cases involving a prior discharge.
What the commission recorded: Bach was discharged in February 2021 and rehired in November 2021; the commission previously waived the one‑year restriction on reapplying but did not restore accruals. The benefits policy referenced in the discussion is dated April 22, 2022.
The request was denied and commissioners closed the item.
