tacmedic,
I have yet to see anything in writing that mandates towns offering positions to those on the layoff list, but what RPD said is correct. The town notifies those on the layoff list that they have position(s) available, and gives a deadline. If nobody (or not enough) people sign from that list, postcards go out to those of us on the newly certified list.
If you were laid off in Springfield, and your family has lived there for several years, would you pack up and move just to take a job in a town 100 miles away? Or would you take it and commute 2+ hours each way? Or would you continue to wait it out for Springfield (or another department in the area) to re-hire you? It all depends on their situation. I did hear rumors from different sources about some of those on the list taking jobs in Hartford, CT.
When I saw the list about two months ago, the majority of candidates lived near Springfield or Taunton, the two departments hit hardest recently. Communities in central or northeastern MA will probably not get many takers from the layoff list.
-Mike :2c: