4. Those individuals currently engaged in a de facto job sharing  arrangement shall be covered under this article.

5.  No employee shall be barred from job sharing on the basis of age,    race, marital status or other relationship, Union activity, gender or    religion.

6.  In the event that one of the employees participating in a job sharing    arrangement leaves job sharing for any reason, then management shall make  every reasonable effort to assist the employee in locating a new job sharing partner.

7.  Employees currently employed in a part-time position and covered by    the same position description may request the opportunity to enter into a  job sharing arrangement consistent with the terms of this article.

8. The Employer agrees that the entry into job sharing is a strictly    voluntary action initiated by the employee's express request and without    any form of coercion by the Employer.  The Employer agrees to make known to  all employees on a periodic basis the availability of part-time employment, including job sharing and job splitting and to assist any interested employee in setting up a job sharing/job splitting arrangement.

9. Each employee entering into a job sharing/job splitting arrangement    shall be given a written explanation of their rights, benefits, and work    schedule.  This information will include the intended work schedule and the  information shown on exhibit #2 in PMS 340-1.  The job sharing/job    splitting plan is to be signed and dated by the Employer and the    employees.

The job sharing/job splitting agreement shall incorporate the understanding  that in the event that one of the job sharing/job splitting parties leaves, management will assist the remaining partner in finding another partner, and will give them a reasonable amount of time to find another partner if management concludes that the needs of the position requires full-time staffing.

It is understood that during that period, the employee may be required to    increase his/her tour of duty depending upon the needs of the organization and the terms of their job sharing/job splitting agreement.

Changes to any approved job sharing arrangement will require the    establishment of a new job sharing plan consistent with this article.

10. Any conflicts between SSA's, DHHS, or OPM's Guides and this article shall be resolved by following this article.