Those individuals holding positions in the classified service in the department who are engaged in legislative text processing functions and who achieved permanent status in class on August 9, 1989, shall retain, while serving in the unclassified service in the legislature or any legislative branch agency, those protections afforded employees in the classified service under ss. 230.34 (1) (a) and 230.44 (1) (c) relating to demotion, suspension, discharge, layoff, or reduction in base pay except that the applicability of any reduction in base pay of such an employee shall be determined on the basis of the base pay received by the employee on August 9, 1989, plus the total amount of any subsequent general economic increases provided in the compensation plan under s. 230.12 for nonrepresented employees in the classified service. Such employees shall also have reinstatement privileges to the classified service as provided under s. 230.33 (1). Employees of the department holding positions in the classified service on August 9, 1989, who are engaged in legislative text processing functions and who have not achieved permanent status in class in any position in the department on that date are eligible to receive the protections and privileges preserved under this section if they successfully complete service equivalent to the probationary period required in the classified service for the positions which they hold.