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Temporary Employment
Fixed Duration Appointments

UNDERSTAND

Nature of Appointment

Fixed duration appointments (FDA) are special limited duration appointments created only by UW/SEIU Local 925 collective bargaining agreements and the WFSE master collective bargaining agreement. FDA’s are for assignments that will be at least half-time for more than six consecutive months, and will not work more than 12 consecutive months.

A FDA may be used to fill in for a contract-classified employee on a leave of absence, or to perform work required by a temporary project. A project is defined as a specific, limited duration work assignment having an identifiable end point. The Human Resources Operations Office must approve the creation of a fixed duration appointment.

A FDA may not replace a regular bargaining unit employee and it cannot be used to do the work of an employee laid off from the same work unit.

Leave and Benefits

The employee in a FDA accrues and may use vacation leave, sick leave and the personal holiday in accordance with collective bargaining agreement provisions.

The employee receives a UW identification card and is eligible to participate in the U-PASS program and other programs that require an official UW Husky ID card. The employing unit maintains a leave record, OWLS or other UW authorized method, for each employee that holds an FDA.

Employees in FDAs are generally eligible for medical, dental, life, and long term disability insurances and retirement plan participation subject to rules. Contact the Benefits Office for information about benefits eligibility.

Tuition Exemption - Only permanent classified staff are eligible to participate in the University's tuition exemption program. Employees in a FDA do not achieve permanent status and are not eligible to participate in the tuition exemption program.

Probationary Period

Employees in a FDA do not achieve "permanent" status and therefore do not serve a probationary period. The appointment may be terminated by the supervisor at any time.

The following applies to SEIU 925 bargaining unit FDAs only:

Time worked in a SEIU 925 bargaining unit FDA counts towards seniority for employees who are appointed without a break in service to a regular monthly SEIU 925 bargaining unit position.

If an FDA is to become a regular monthly-paid bargaining unit position, and the FDA incumbent is hired into the position through open recruitment, the employee will have time spent in the FDA apply toward the probationary period for that position. If the employee has worked in the FDA six months or longer the employee is considered to have completed the probationary period.

Union Membership

An employee in a FDA must comply with the applicable contract provisions for paying union dues.

Consecutive FDAs

Consecutive appointments that total more than 12 consecutive months are not allowed for the same assignment. If some job duties change but the employee's supervisor and home department remain unchanged, a new FDA cannot be initiated.

FDAs and Temporary Appointment

Temporary hourly employees may accept a FDA but a  FDA may not be created and used to extend the employment of an hourly employee who has reached the 1050-hour limit on temporary appointments.

FDAs and Multiple Appointments

An employee holding a FDA may hold another appointment. However the employee's combined weekly work hours may create an overtime obligation. Supervisors should work through their department's payroll coordinators to confirm whether an employee is working for any other unit at the University.

Layoff

The employee in a FDA does not have layoff-rehire rights when the FDA ends.

ACT

Hiring for a FDA

Fixed duration appointments follow a unique recruitment process. The Hiring Process Guide describes the hiring process for a FDA.  After hiring a candidate into a FDA, the employing supervisor arranges for New Employee Orientation and Benefits orientation by the same process as other appointments.

Ending a FDA

When an FDA ends managers are responsible for the following tasks:

  1. Terminating the appointment in OPUS
  2. Reviewing the work and leave records for accuracy
  3. Paying any accumulated compensatory time
  4. Paying unused vacation leave for employees who have completed six months or more of service. Employees who are terminated before completing six months of service do not receive payment for accrued vacation leave.

Review the ending employment checklist for other tasks that may need to be completed.