Catastrophic Leave Bank The City agrees to establish a Catastrophic Leave Bank to assist employees who have exhausted accrued leave time due to a serious or catastrophic illness or injury. The Catastrophic Leave Bank (CLB) will allow the bargaining unit employees to donate time to affected employees within and outside the unit, so that he/she can remain in a paid status for a longer period of time, thus partially ameliorating the financial impact of the illness, injury or condition. This donated time will be placed in a CLB and drawn down from the CLB by the eligible employee. Eligibility To be eligible for this benefit, the receiving employee must: 1) Be a regular full time employee, 2) Have sustained or have an immediate family member who has sustained a life threatening or debilitating illness, injury or condition which may require confirmation by a physician, 3) Have exhausted all accumulated paid leave including vacation, holiday, sick leave, and/or compensatory time off, 4) Be unable to return to work for at least 30 days or in the case of the condition affecting the immediate family member, that member must be in need of prolonged and significant personal care; and 5) Conformed with the requirements of the Family Medical Leave Act and/or Worker's Compensation.
Catastrophic Leave The County will administer a Catastrophic Leave procedure designed to permit individual donations of annual leave, vacation, healthcare leave (8 hours maximum per fiscal year), compensatory and/or PIP leave time to an employee who is required to be on an extended unpaid leave due to a catastrophic medical condition or other serious circumstances.
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.
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.
Industrial Accident and Illness Leave For accidents or illnesses that are job- incurred, unit members shall be provided leave benefits under the following provisions:
12.6.1 Allowable leave shall be sixty (60) days during which the colleges of the District are required to be in session or when the unit member would otherwise have been performing work for the District in any one fiscal year for the same accident.
12.6.2 Allowable leave shall not be accumulated from year to year.
12.6.3 Industrial accident or illness leave shall commence on the first (1st) day of absence.
12.6.4 When a faculty member is absent from his/her duties on account of an industrial accident or illness, he/she shall be paid such portion of the salary due him/her for any month in which the absence occurs as, when added to his/her temporary disability indemnity under Division 4 or Division 4.5 (commencing with Section 6100) of the Labor Code, will result in a payment to him/her of not more than his/her full salary. The phrase, "full salary," as utilized in this section, shall be computed so that it shall not be less than the unit member's "average weekly earnings" as that phrase is utilized in Section 4453 of the Labor Code. For purposes of this section, however, the maximum and minimum average weekly earnings set forth in Section 4453 of the Labor Code shall otherwise not be deemed applicable.
12.6.5 Industrial accident or illness leave shall be reduced by one (1) day for each day of authorized absence regardless of a temporary disability indemnity award.
12.6.6 When an industrial accident or illness leave overlaps into the next fiscal year, the unit member shall be entitled to only the amount of unused industrial accident or illness leave due him/her for the same illness or injury.
12.6.7 Upon termination of the industrial accident or illness leave, the unit member shall be entitled to the benefits provided in Education Code Sections 87780, 87781 and 87786, and for the purposes of each of these sections his/her absence shall be deemed to have commenced on the date of termination for the industrial accident or illness leave, provided that if the unit member continues to receive temporary dis- ability indemnity, he/she may elect to take as much of his/her accumulated sick leave which, when added to his/her temporary disability indemnity, will result in a payment to him/her of not more than his/her full salary.
12.6.8 During any paid leave of absence, the unit member may endorse to the District the temporary disability indemnity checks received on account of his/her industrial accident or illness. The District, in turn, shall issue the unit member appropriate salary warrants for payment of the unit member's salary, and shall deduct normal retirement, other authorized contributions, and the temporary disability indemnity, if any, actually paid to, and retained by, the employee for periods covered by such salary warrants.
12.6.9 Any unit member receiving benefits as a result of this section shall, during periods of injury or illness, remain within the State of California, unless the Governing Board authorizes travel outside the state.
12.6.10 When all available leaves of absence have been exhausted and the unit member is not medically able to return to all the duties of his/her prior assignment, the District shall provide first (1st) priority in assigning such a person into classes where his/her disability, in the discretion of the District, does not hinder the performance of the duties required of him/her if he/she is otherwise qualified. With mutual agreement with the unit member, the District may also assign an employee into a position that can reasonably accommodate his/her performance of duties required by the position, despite his/her disability, prior to the exhaustion of leave of absence.
Family Medical Leave or Critical Illness Leave a) Family Medical Leave or Critical Illness leaves granted to a permanent teacher, long-term occasional teacher or teacher hired into a term position under this Article shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Employment Standards Act, as amended.
b) The teacher will provide to the employer such evidence as necessary to prove entitlement under the Employment Standards Act.
c) A teacher contemplating taking such leave(s) shall notify the employer of the intended date the leave is to begin and the anticipated date of return to active employment.
d) Seniority and experience continue to accrue during such leave(s).
e) Where a teacher is on such leave(s), the Employer shall continue to pay its share of the benefit premiums, where applicable. To maintain participation and coverage under the Collective Agreement, the teacher must agree to provide for payment for the teacher’s share of the benefit premiums, where applicable.
f) In order to receive pay for such leaves, a teacher must access Employment Insurance and the Supplemental Employment Benefit (SEB) in accordance with g) to j), if allowable by legislation. An employee who is eligible for E.I. is not entitled to benefits under a school board’s sick leave and short term disability plan.
g) The Employer shall provide for permanent teachers, long-term occasional teachers and teachers hired into a term position who access such Leaves, a SEB plan to top up their E.I.
SICK LEAVE AND LONG-TERM DISABILITY (Articles 12.01 to 12.11 apply to full-time nurses only)
12.01 The Hospital will assume total responsibility for providing and funding a short-term sick leave plan at least equivalent to that described in the 1980 Hospitals of Ontario Disability Income Plan brochure. Effective January 1, 2006, new hires will be covered under the 1992 Hospitals of Ontario Disability Income Plan. The Hospital will pay 75% of the billed premium towards coverage of eligible employees under the long-term disability portion of the Plan (HOODIP or an equivalent plan). The employee will pay the balance of the billed premium through payroll deduction. For the purpose of transfer to the short-term portion of the disability program, employees on the payroll as of the effective date of the transfer with three (3) months or more of service shall be deemed to have three (3) months of service. For the purpose of transfer to the long-term portion of the disability program, employees on the active payroll as of the effective date of the transfer with one (1) year or more of service shall be deemed to have one (1) year of service.
12.02 Effective the first of the month following the transfer, all existing sick leave plans in the Participating Hospitals shall be terminated and any provisions relating to such plans shall be null and void under the respective Collective Agreements except as to those provisions relating to payout of unused sick leave benefits which are specifically dealt with hereinafter.
12.03 Existing sick leave credits for each employee shall be converted to a sick leave bank to the credit of the employee. The sick leave bank shall contain the unused sick leave days to the credit of the nurse on the effective date of the transfer to the Plan set out in Article 12.01. The "sick leave bank" shall be utilized to:
(a) Supplement payment for sick leave days under the new plan which would otherwise be at less than full wages, and;
(b) Where a payout provision existed under the former sick leave plan in the Collective Agreement, payout shall be made on the termination of employment, or in the case of death, to the nurse's estate. The parties may agree to voluntarily cash out existing sick leave banks. The amount of the payout shall be a cash settlement at the nurse's then current salary rate for any unused sick credits to the maximum provided under the sick leave plan in which the nurse participated as of October 23, 1981;
(c) Where, as of the effective date of transfer, an employee does not have the required service to qualify for payout on termination, her or his existing sick leave credits as of that date shall nevertheless be converted to a sick leave bank in accordance with the foregoing and the nurse shall be entitled to the same cash out provisions as set out in paragraph (b) above providing the nurse subsequently achieves the necessary service to qualify for payout under the conditions of the sick leave plan in which she or he participated as of October 23, 1981;
(d) Where a payout provision existed under the former sick leave plan in the Collective Agreement, a nurse who, as of the date of this award, has accumulated sick leave credits and is prevented from working for the Hospital on account of an occupational illness or accident that is recognized by The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board as compensable within the meaning of the Workplace and Safety Insurance Act, the Hospital, on application from the nurse, will supplement the award made by The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board for loss of wages to the nurse by such amount that the award of The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board for loss of wages, together with the supplementation of the Hospital, will equal one hundred per cent (100%) of the nurse's net earnings to the limit of the nurse's accumulated sick leave credits. Nurses may utilize such sick leave credits while awaiting approval of a claim for WSIB benefits.
12.04 When a nurse has completed any portion of her or his regularly scheduled tour prior to going on sick leave benefits or WSIB benefits, the nurse shall be paid for the balance of the tour at her or his regular straight time hourly rate. This provision will not disentitle the nurse to a lieu day under Article 15.05 if she or he otherwise qualifies.
12.05 Any dispute which may arise concerning a nurse's entitlement to short-term or long- term benefits under HOODIP or an equivalent plan may be subject to grievance and arbitration under the provisions of this Agreement. The Union agrees that it will encourage a nurse to utilize the carrier’s medical appeals process, if any, to resolve disputes.
12.06 Nurses presently employed who are covered by a long-term disability plan in effect as of the date of this award, may elect to be covered by HOODIP or to continue their present coverage.
12.07 The Hospital further agrees to pay employees an amount equal to any loss of benefits under HOODIP for the first two days of the fourth and subsequent period of absence in any calendar year.
12.08 The Hospital will notify each nurse of the amount of unused sick leave in her or his bank annually.
12.09 For nurses whose regular hours of work are other than the standard work day, the short-term sick leave plan will provide payment for the number of hours of absence according to the scheduled tour to a total of 562.5 hours. All other provisions of the existing plan shall apply mutatis mutandis.
12.10 Absences due to pregnancy related illness shall be considered as sick leave under the sick leave plan.
12.11 A nurse who is absent from work as a result of an illness or injury sustained at work and who has been awaiting approval of a claim for WSIB benefits for a period longer than one complete tour or more may apply to the Hospital for payment equivalent to the lesser of the benefit the nurse would receive from WSIB if the nurse's claim was approved, or the benefit to which the nurse would be entitled under the short-term sick portion of the disability income plan (HOODIP or equivalent plan). Payment will be provided only if the nurse provides evidence of disability satisfactory to the Hospital and a written undertaking satisfactory to the Hospital that any payments will be refunded to the Hospital following final determination of the claim by The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. If the claim for WSIB benefits is not approved, the monies paid as an advance will be applied towards the benefits to which the nurse would be entitled under the short-term portion of the disability income plan. Any payment under this provision will continue for a maximum of fifteen (15) weeks. (Articles 12.12, 12.13 and 12.14 apply to both full-time and part-time nurses)
12.12 Nurses returning to work from an illness or injury compensable from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board will be assigned light work as necessary, if available.
12.13 A nurse who transfers from full-time to part-time may elect to retain her or his accumulated sick leave credits to be utilized during part-time or subsequent full-time employment as provided under the sick leave plan in which the nurse participates as of October 23, 1981.
12.14 If the Employer requires the employee to obtain a medical certificate, the employer shall pay the full cost of obtaining the certificate.
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.
Family Violence Leave Family Violence Leave as provided for by the Holidays Act 2003 is in addition to other leave allowances within the collective agreement.
Military Caregiver Leave The employer shall grant an employee who is a family member of a covered service member an unpaid leave of up to twenty-six (26) weeks (inclusive of the twelve (12) weeks granted under 1. above) in a single twelve (12) month period to care for the covered service member who has a serious illness or injury incurred in the line of duty on active duty.
