Extended Sick Leave When sick leave extends for more than 25 consecutive working days, the appointing authority shall initiate the following procedure:
Sick Leave Donation Program A Labor Management Committee will be established for the purpose of proposing rules and procedures for a new, program. The LMC will be to develop consistent, transparent and equitable proposals for processes across all departments within the City. The LMC shall also explore proposals to lower the minimum leave bank required to donate sick leave and permit donation of sick leave upon separation from the City. The LMC must consult with the Office of Civil Rights to ensure compliance with the City’s Race and Social Justice Initiative. Once the LMC has developed its list of proposals, the City and Coalition of City Unions agrees to reopen each contract on this subject.
BEREAVEMENT/TANGIHANGA LEAVE 18.1 The employer shall approve special bereavement leave on pay for an employee to discharge any obligation and/or to pay respects to a deceased person with whom the employee has had a close association. Such obligations may exist because of blood or family ties or because of particular cultural requirements such as attendance at all or part of a tangihanga (or its equivalent). The length of time off shall be at the discretion of the employer.
18.2 If a bereavement occurs while an employee is absent on annual leave, sick leave on pay, or other special leave on pay, such leave may be interrupted and bereavement leave granted in terms of 18.1 above. This provision will not apply if the employee is on leave without pay.
18.3 In granting time off and for how long, the employer must administer these provisions in a culturally sensitive manner.
Paid Sick Leave For those jurisdictions that have passed or will pass legislation requiring Paid Sick Leave, Paid Sick Time will be billed back to Client at the straight-time bill rate for all hours taken by any Consultant assigned to Client. This section is not applicable until the effective date of such legislation has been reached.
Sick Leave Abuse When the Employer suspects sick leave abuse, the employee will be provided the opportunity to explain the circumstances surrounding their sick leave use prior to disciplining the employee, or making reference to sick leave use in the employee’s performance evaluation. The Employer may not adopt or enforce any policy that counts the use of paid sick leave time as an absence that may lead to or result in disciplinary action for an authorized purpose. The Employer may not discriminate or retaliate against an employee for the use of paid sick leave for an authorized purpose.
Sick Leave Donation 10.3.1 A worker may donate days of sick leave to individual District workers who, due to a serious health condition, have exhausted all accumulated sick leave. Donating workers must retain a sixty (60) day balance of sick leave after their donation. No worker may receive more than 40 days of donated leave per year.
10.3.1.1 A “serious health condition” is defined as an illness, injury, impairment or physical or mental condition which involves inpatient care in a hospital, hospice, or residential health care facility, or continuing treatment or continuing supervision by a health care provider as defined in 29 USC 825.114(a) and as certified by a worker’s physician or other qualified medical practitioner.
10.3.1.2 The Vice Chancellor of Human Resources and the Chief Stewards by mutual agreement will verify the certification for eligibility. If the certification from the worker’s physician is insufficient, a certification by a physician of the District’s choosing may be required, at District expense. The District may require additional medical opinions.
10.3.2 Donated leave must be in one-day increments (no less than 8 hours). Recipients of donated sick leave shall be solely responsible for any state and federal taxes on the donated time. Such taxes shall be withheld at the normal rate for the recipient worker. In the event that the state or federal governments rule that tax liability is due other than as taxed, the recipient shall be solely liable for such liabilities.
10.3.2.1 The donated sick leave may be used only when the worker has exhausted accumulated sick leave and either is not eligible for long- term disability or is eligible but has not begun to receive the long-term coverage.
10.3.2.2 The Vice Chancellor of Human Resources shall be notified of solicitation of donations. Solicitations of donations may be made by the individual or his/her representative(s).
10.3.2.3 Donation of sick leave shall be authorized by a signed pledge form prepared by and filed with the District Office of Human Resources. In the event several workers donate sick leave, the sick leave shall be used in the order in which the signed pledge forms are filed with Human Resources.
10.3.2.4 If the worker does not use all donated sick leave, the sick leave shall be returned to the donating worker(s).
Sick Leave Use An employee shall be granted sick leave with pay to the extent of the employee's accumulation for absences necessitated by the following conditions:
Sick Leave Verification Process a. The new school district shall provide the employee with the necessary verification form at the time the employee receives confirmation of employment in the school district.
b. An employee must initiate the sick leave verification process and forward the necessary verification forms to the previous school district(s) within ninety (90) days of commencing employment with the new school district.
c. The previous school district(s) shall make every reasonable effort to retrieve and verify the sick leave credits which the employee seeks to port.
Extended Leave of Absence Professional employees who have attained renewable contract status may request extended leaves of absence for one (1) year without pay under any one of the circumstances listed in this section. All requests for such extended leave of absence will be applied for and granted or rejected in writing. Such application will be reviewed by the principal and superintendent. If the latter approves, he/she will recommend that the leave be granted by the Board. An employee returning from an extended leave will be assigned to the same position as that which he/she held before assuming the leave, providing that position still exists. By mutual agreement between the employer and the employees, he/she may be given a different assignment. Extended leaves of absence may be requested under, but not limited to, the following:
1. To serve in a county, state, or national public office.
2. To care for a sick member of the immediate family.
3. To serve as an exchange teacher or an overseas teacher.
4. To accept a sabbatical leave.
Catastrophic Leave Program Leave credits, as defined below, may be transferred from one (1) or more employees to another employee, on an hour-for-hour basis, in accordance with departmental policies upon the request of both the receiving employee and the transferring employee and upon approval of the employee's appointing authority, under the following conditions:
A. The receiving employee is required to be absent from work due to injury or the prolonged illness of the employee, employee's spouse, registered domestic partner, a domestic partner listed on an “Affidavit for Enrollment of Domestic Partners,” submitted to employee benefits, parent or child, has exhausted all earned leave credits, including but not limited to sick leave, compensatory time, holiday credits and disability leave and is therefore facing financial hardship.
B. The transfers must be for a minimum of four (4) hours and in whole hour increments thereafter.
C. Transfers shall be allowed to cross-departmental lines in accordance with the policies of the receiving department.
D. The total maximum leave credits received by an employee shall normally not exceed five hundred twenty (520) hours; however, if approved by his/her appointing authority, the total leave credits may be up to one thousand forty (1,040) hours. Total leave credits in excess of one thousand forty (1,040) hours will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the appointing authority subject to the approval of the Chief Administrative Officer.
E. The transfers are irrevocable, and will be indistinguishable from other leave credits belonging to the receiving employee. Transfers will be subject to all taxes required by law.
F. Leave credits that may be transferred under this program are defined as the transferring employee’s vacation credits or up to twenty-four (24) hours of sick leave per fiscal year.
G. Transfers shall be administered according to the rules and regulations of the Auditor and Controller, and made on a form prescribed by the Auditor and Controller. Approvals of the receiving and donating employee, the donating employee's appointing authority and the receiving employee's appointing authority (in the case of an interdepartmental transfer) will be provided for on such form.
H. This program is not subject to the Grievance Procedure of this Agreement.
