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Employee & Labor Relations

A Resource for County of San Mateo Employees, Supervisors, and Managers

14. Classified & Unclassified Employment

Classified and Unclassified Employment
Some of the most commonly asked questions concerning the differences and similarities between classified...
A. Why are positions unclassified?
Section 502.b of the County Charter provides that a variety of positions are unclassified to facilitate...
B. Who decides what positions are unclassified?
Section 502 of the County Charter designates all positions as classified unless they are specifically...
C. Measure D
In 2004, San Mateo County voters resoundingly approved Measure D by a 19-point margin. Measure D provides...
Classified and Unclassified Employees – Comparison of Terms and Conditions of Employment
CLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED Recruitment & Selection Covered by the provisions of the Civil Service...
D. Why are there classified and unclassified employees in the same jobs?
This occurs when some employees are performing ongoing work and other employees are hired to perform...
E. How are people hired into the unclassified service?
Departments may use hiring processes similar to those used for classified positions and may even make...
F. What happens if a position is changed from unclassified to classified?
Section 14 of Civil Service Commission Rule XI states that the County may appoint, without examination,...
G. What happens if a position is changed from classified to unclassified?
If a filled classified position is changed to unclassified, it is considered a layoff subject to the...
H. Can a person in an unclassified position take County examinations for classified positions? Can he/she take promotional examinations?
All persons in unclassified positions can compete for classified positions any time that an Open or Open...
I. If a person is in an unclassified position can he/she transfer to classified positions?
Persons in unclassified positions, who previously held a classified position and who did not have a break...
J. If a person in a classified position wants to take an unclassified position, what happens?
An employee who moves from classified to unclassified service must resign from the classified service....
K. Do health benefits for classified employees differ from those of unclassified employees?
There is no difference in health, dental, vision, or life insurance benefits based on classified or unclassified...
L. Do retirement benefits or obligations for classified employees differ from those of unclassified employees?
There is no difference in retirement benefits or obligations based on classified or unclassified sta...