Conferences, Seminars and Educational Programs. Employees will be granted time away from their work at their regular rate of pay when directed by their affected department head to attend conferences, seminars or educational programs which are intended to improve and upgrade the employee’s skill or professional ability. All such educational leaves must be approved by the employee’s department head. Travel hours outside normal working hours will not be paid except to the extent required by the FLSA or Oregon law. The employee will be considered as being on County business for liability and Workers’ Compensation purposes. Whenever a conference, seminar or educational program is broken by a weekend and is being held within a four (4) hour travel radius of Astoria by automobile, travel expenses shall be provided to the employee for return to his home and back during the weekend break.
Conferences, Seminars and Educational Programs. Employees will be granted time away from their work at their regular rate of pay when directed by their Division Head, Sheriff or supervisor to attend professional/program meetings and conferences, seminars, or educational programs which are intended to improve and upgrade the employee's skill or professional ability. The Division Head, Sheriff or supervisor must approve all such educational leaves. Travel time/training time outside normal working hours of an employee will be considered as being on County or Sheriff’s business for liability and Workers’ Compensation purposes regardless of whether the time is compensable under this contract or as required by law. Training and travel time shall be deemed hours worked and paid in accordance with the travel time rules of the FLSA. The County will not provide any automobile insurance for employees using their personal vehicles for County/Sheriff’s Office purposes. The County/Sheriff’s Office will make a reasonable attempt to assign a vehicle when travel to a conference, seminar, or educational program within Oregon is required. Whenever a conference, seminar, or educational program is broken by a weekend and is being held within a four-hour travel radius of Astoria via automobile, travel expenses shall be provided to the employee for return home and back during the weekend break. An employee may request time off duty, a leave of absence without pay, vacation, or the ability to attend a training opportunity on a voluntary basis and the Sheriff may authorize voluntary attendance at a training opportunity without loss of pay, and with partial or full reimbursements in any category of expenses associated with the employee’s attendance at a particular training which is voluntarily requested and granted on the basis of the Sheriff’s authorizations.
