(a) As of the implementation date of this article, as provided in Section 71658, each trial court shall establish a trial court employment protection system that shall become the minimum employment protection system for all trial court employees and shall become part of the sole trial court employee personnel system. The trial court employment protection system shall replace any county employment protection systems applying to trial court employees prior to the implementation date provided in Section 71658, except as otherwise specified in this article. This article establishes minimum standards, and each trial court employment protection system shall, at a minimum, conform to the requirements of this article.

(b) Nothing in this article shall preclude the establishment of enhanced employment protection systems pursuant to trial court personnel policies, procedures, or plans subject to meet and confer in good faith.

(c) Nothing in this article shall be construed to provide, either explicitly or implicitly, a civil cause of action for breach of contract either express or implied arising out of a termination of employment.

(d) Except as specified in subdivisions (b) and (c), this article shall not apply to either of the following categories of trial court employees:

(1) Subordinate judicial officers.

(2) Managerial, confidential, temporary, limited term, and probationary employees, unless included within the trial court employment protection system in accordance with trial court personnel policies, procedures, or plans subject to meet and confer in good faith.

(Amended by Stats. 2001, Ch. 270, Sec. 10. Effective January 1, 2002.)