Demotions of regular employees shall be made by the appointing authority when it becomes necessary to reduce the number of employees in the classified service or in any class therein. Demotions from any class, except for disciplinary action or because of the abolition of an entire class in the classified service, shall be made by demoting employees from lowest to highest in point of total seniority earned in positions of the class plus that earned in any higher classes in the classified service. The names of regular employees demoted for any reason, except for disciplinary action, shall be recorded upon the reinstatement list for the class from which they are demoted in the order in which the demotions are made.
La. R.S. § 33:2488