TABLE OF CONTENTS Article Subject Page 1 Preamble and ...

ARTICLE 23REDUCTION IN GRADE AND REMOVAL BASED ONUNACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCESection 1. In accordance with the agency's performance appraisal system required under 5 USC4302, implementing OPM regulations, and this agreement, an employee may be reduced in gradeor removed for unacceptable performance. These actions will be based on just cause.Section 2. Procedures:a. Action may be initiated at any time to remove or reduce in grade an employee whoseperformance is unacceptable. To do so the employee must be informed in writing:(1) Of the applicable responsibility or objective he/she is failing to meet.(2) Of performance deficiencies.(3) Of what the employee must do to bring performance to a successful level.(4) That he/she will be allowed reasonable time to demonstrate acceptable performance.(5) Of how the supervisor will assist the employee during that period.(6) That his/her performance will be evaluated at the end of this period, and unless his/herperformance improves to and is sustained at an acceptable level, the employee may be reduced ingrade or removed. If the employee fails to sustain an acceptable level of performance for at leastone (1) year from the beginning date of this Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), he/she may bereduced in grade or removed without the issuance of an additional PIP.b. Employees against whom reduction in grade or removal action is proposed are entitledto the following:(1) Thirty (30) days advance written notice of the proposed action, which identifies:based.(a) Specific instances of unacceptable performance on which the proposed action is(b) Objectives/responsibilities of the employee's position involved in each instance ofunacceptable performance.(2) Representation by a person of the employee's choice, so long as such service by therepresentative does not48