Section 1. New employees hired in this unit shall be considered as probationary employees for the first six (6) months of their continuous employment. When an employee finishes the probationary period, he/she shall be entered on the seniority list of the unit and shall rank for seniority from the six (6) months prior to the date he/she completed the probationary period. There shall be no seniority among probationary employees.

Section 2. The Association shall represent probationary employees for the purposes of collective bargaining in respect to tours of duty and other conditions of employment.

Section 3. During the probationary period, an employee may be disciplined or terminated without recourse to the grievance and arbitration procedure provided herein, except discipline or discharge for lawful and protected Association activity or as indicated pursuant to Article 29.