This question comes up from time to time at every station across the sector. Below is the applicable guidance for detail selection provided in Appendix III of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. While other practices may have been in place at stations prior to November 2019, the Appendix below is the only method that should be applied across the Border Patrol nationwide.
Take a moment and familiarize yourself with the guidance, and contact your station steward if you have any questions or concerns that may need to be addressed.
Appendix III of the CBA, Temporary Assignments and Collateral Duties
A. Selection Procedures (SENIORITY BASED DETAILS)
1. Seniority, as defined in Appendix I, will apply to all details and collateral duties that management determines does not require special skills. In such cases, details or collateral duties will be assigned based upon seniority and on a voluntary basis.
Once an agent or employee completes a voluntary detail, that agent may not be granted the same detail until all agents or employees have been given the opportunity to complete the same detail or collateral duty. If there are no volunteers, the agency may mandate agents or employees based upon reverse seniority.
Once an agent or employee has been mandated, that person may not be mandated again until all eligible agents or employees as identified by the agency have been mandated to fulfill a detail or collateral duty.
A. If an eligible employee declines selection, the Agency will select the next qualified employee using the selection criteria until an employee accepts the selection.
B. If there are no qualified volunteers for a temporary assignment or collateral duty, the employees currently assigned will be afforded an opportunity to voluntarily extend.
C. In the event there are no qualified volunteers for a particular temporary assignment, or collateral duty, employees currently assigned do not volunteer to extend, and the position must be filled, the Agency may make selections from employees deemed qualified by the Agency.When making these selections for involuntary temporary assignments or collateral duty, the Agency will consider qualifications/prerequisites and inverse seniority.
E. Outside of exigent circumstances as determined by the agency, temporary assignments or collateral duties will have a waiting period in which the agent or employee will return to normal duties for a period equal to the length of the completed temporary assignment or collateral duty, not to exceed 1 year.
A waiting period will be waived when an agent or employee volunteers for a detail or collateral duty which has no other volunteers.