ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIALIST PREVAILS IN RECLASSIFICATION APPEAL

After years of being incorrectly classified, and over the strong objections of a County agency bent on excluding qualified applicants from their appropriate classification, a Sacramento County environmental specialist was successful recently in obtaining reclassification to a higher paygrade.

David Tamayo, an Environmental Specialist III (ES III) and a member of the Union of Environmental Management Specialists of Sacramento County, was denied reclassification by his agency despite a study showing his position was more appropriately classified as an “ES IV”. Tamayo had worked for the County since 1992 and had been promoted to Supervising Industrial Waste Inspector in 1995. Over the years, Tamayo’s position required ever-greater levels of education, experience, initiative, independence, and knowledge of complex policy, scientific, and regulatory issues, to the point that he was clearly overqualified for his classification.

In the spring of 2005, the Municipal Services Agency began a classification study. By July 12, 2005, a senior personnel analyst in the agency had concluded Tamayo’s position “is appropriately classified as an Environmental Specialist IV.” She recommended he be reallocated to that job class.

Before Mr. Tamayo could be reallocated to ES IV, however, his agency, the Environmental Management Department (EMD), intervened and instigated a second classification review. This resulted in Tamayo’s classification to ES III. Tamayo appealed, contending the ES IV class better fit his duties and In the end, after asking some rather pointed questions to the Personnel Services representatives, the Civil Service Commission granted Tamayo’s appeal, recommending his reallocation to ES IV and perhaps opening the door for other misclassified employees to challenge their classifications.