Pilot Programs The Employer may develop voluntary pilot programs to test the acceptability of various risk management programs. Incentives for participation in such programs may include limited short-term improvements to the benefits outlined in this Article. Implementation of such pilot programs is subject to the review and approval of the Joint Labor-Management Committee on Health Plans.
Dependent Care Assistance Program The County offers the option of enrolling in a Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP) designed to qualify for tax savings under Section 129 of the Internal Revenue Code, but such savings are not guaranteed. The program allows employees to set aside up to five thousand dollars ($5,000) of annual salary (before taxes) per calendar year to pay for eligible dependent care (child and elder care) expenses. Any unused balance is forfeited and cannot be recovered by the employee.
HEALTH PROGRAM 3701 Health examinations required by the Employer shall be provided by the Employer and shall be at the expense of the Employer. 3702 Time off without loss of regular pay shall be allowed at a time determined by the Employer for such medical examinations and laboratory tests, provided that these are performed on the Employer’s premises, or at a facility designated by the Employer. 3703 With the approval of the Employer, a nurse may choose to be examined by a physician of her/his own choice, at her/his own expense, as long as the Employer receives a statement as to the fitness of the nurse from the physician. 3704 Time off for medical and dental examinations and/or treatments may be granted and such time off, including necessary travel time, shall be chargeable against accumulated income protection benefits.
Leave Donation Program Employees may donate paid leave to a fellow employee who is otherwise eligible to accrue and use sick leave and is employed by the same Agency. The intent of the leave donation program is to allow employees to voluntarily provide assistance to their co-workers who are in critical need of leave due to the serious illness or injury of the employee or a member of the employee's immediate family. The definition of immediate family as provided in rule 123:1-47-01 of the Administrative Code shall apply for the leave donation program.
A. An employee may receive donated leave, up to the number of hours the employee is scheduled to work each pay period, if the employee who is to receive donated leave:
1. Or a member of the employee's immediate family has a serious illness or injury;
2. Has no accrued leave or has not been approved to receive other state-paid benefits; and
3. Has applied for any paid leave, workers' compensation, or benefits program for which the employee is eligible. Employees who have applied for these programs may use donated leave to satisfy the waiting period for such benefits where applicable, and donated leave may be used following a waiting period, if one exists, in an amount equal to the benefit provided by the program, i.e. fifty six hours (56) pay period may be utilized by an employee who has satisfied the disability waiting period and is pending approval, this is equal to the seventy percent (70%) benefit provided by disability.
B. Employees may donate leave if the donating employee:
1. Voluntarily elects to donate leave and does so with the understanding that donated leave will not be returned;
2. Donates a minimum of eight hours; and
3. Retains a combined leave balance of at least eighty hours. Leave shall be donated in the same manner in which it would otherwise be used except that compensatory time is not eligible for donation.
C. The leave donation program shall be administered on a pay period by pay period basis. Employees using donated leave shall be considered in active pay status and shall accrue leave and be entitled to any benefits to which they would otherwise be entitled. Leave accrued by an employee while using donated leave shall be used, if necessary, in the following pay period before additional donated leave may be received. Donated leave shall not count toward the probationary period of an employee who receives donated leave during his or her probationary period. Donated leave shall be considered sick leave, but shall never be converted into a cash benefit.
D. Employees who wish to donate leave shall certify:
1. The name of the employee for whom the donated leave is intended;
2. The type of leave and number of hours to be donated;
3. That the employee will have a minimum combined leave balance of at least eighty hours; and
4. That the leave is donated voluntarily and the employee understands that the donated leave will not be returned.
E. Appointing authorities shall ensure that no employees are forced to donate leave. Appointing authorities shall respect an employee's right to privacy, however appointing authorities may, with the permission of the employee who is in need of leave or a member of the employee's immediate family, inform employees of their co-worker's critical need for leave. Appointing authorities shall not directly solicit leave donations from employees. The donation of leave shall occur on a strictly voluntary basis.
Substance Abuse Program The SFMTA General Manager or designee will manage all aspects of the FTA-mandated Substance Abuse Program. He/she shall have appointing and removal authority over all personnel working for the Substance Abuse Program personnel, and shall be responsible for the supervision of the SAP.
Orientation Program The Company will allow a designated representative of the Local or Bargaining Unit up to one (1) hour per calendar month for the purpose of conducting the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union New Members’ Orientation Program. Such meetings will be conducted during the probationary period of employees, and will be held on Company premises. Employees participating in Orientation Program meetings during their normally scheduled working hours will not suffer loss of pay at their regular rate. Orientation Program meetings will be scheduled by Management and a Management representative may attend as an observer.
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.
Alcohol Testing Alcohol testing will be conducted by using an evidential breath-testing device (EBT) approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A screening test will be conducted first. This initial screening may be accomplished using a saliva test kit. If the result is an alcohol concentration level of less than 0.02 percent, the test is considered a negative test. If the alcohol concentration level is 0.02 percent or more, a second confirmation test using the EBT will be conducted. The procedures that will be utilized by the lab for collection and testing of the specimen are attached hereto as Appendix A.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Section 1. The Employer agrees to provide to the Union the statistical and program evaluation information provided to management concerning Employee Assistance Program(s).
Section 2. No information gathered by an Employee Assistance Program may be used to discipline an employee.
Section 3. Employees shall be entitled to use accrued sick leave for participation in an Employee Assistance Program.
Section 4. Each university will offer training to local Union Stewards on the Employee Assistance Program available in their university, on university time, where an Employee Assistance Program is available.
DRUG/ALCOHOL TESTING Section 33.1 Drug testing may be conducted on employees during their duty hours upon reasonable suspicion or randomly by computer selection. Alcohol testing will be conducted only upon reasonable suspicion. Reasonable suspicion that an employee used or is using a controlled substance or alcohol in an unlawful or abusive manner may be based upon, but not limited to:
A. Observable phenomena, such as direct observation of drug or alcohol use or possession and/or the physical symptoms of being under the influence of a drug or alcohol;
B. A pattern or abnormal conduct or erratic behavior, including abnormal leave patterns;
C. Arrest or conviction for a drug or alcohol-related offense, or the identification of an employee as the focus of a criminal investigation into illegal drug or alcohol possession, use, or trafficking;
D. Information provided either by reliable and credible sources or independently corroborated;
E. Evidence that an employee has tampered with a previous drug test;
F. Facts or circumstances developed in the course of an authorized investigation of an accident or unsafe working practices.
Section 33.2 Drug/alcohol testing shall be conducted solely for administrative purposes and the results obtained shall not be used in criminal proceedings. Under no circumstances may the results of drug/alcohol screening or testing be released to a third party for use in a criminal prosecution against the affected employee. The following procedure shall not preclude the Employer from other administrative action but such actions shall not be based solely upon the initial reagent testing results alone.
Section 33.3 All drug screening tests shall be conducted by laboratories meeting the standards of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration. No test shall be considered positive until it has been confirmed by a Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry. The procedures utilized by the Employer and testing laboratory shall include an evidentiary chain of custody control and split sample testing. All procedures shall be outlined in writing and this outline shall be followed in all situations arising under this article.
Section 33.4 Alcohol testing shall be done in accordance with the law of the State of Ohio to detect drivers operating a motor vehicle under the influence. A positive result shall entitle the Employer to proceed with sanctions as set forth in this Article.
Section 33.5 The results of the testing shall be delivered to a specified employee of the Employer with command responsibility and the employee tested. An employee whose confirmatory test result is positive shall have the right to request a certified copy of the testing results in which the vendor shall affirm that the test results were obtained using the approved protocol methods. The employee shall provide a signed release for disclosure of the testing results to the Employer. A representative for the bargaining unit shall have a right of access to the results upon request to the Employer, with the employee’s written consent. Refusal to submit to the testing provided for under this Agreement may be grounds for discipline.
A. If a drug screening test is positive, a confirmatory test shall be conducted utilizing the fluid from the primary sample.
B. In the event that any confirmation drug test results are positive, the employee is entitled to have the split sample tested by another DHHS-certified lab in the manner prescribed above at the employee’s expense. The employee must request the split sample test within seventy-two (72) hours of being notified of a positive result. The results of this test, whether positive or negative, shall be determinative.
Section 33.7 A list of three (3) testing laboratories shall be maintained by the Employer. These laboratories shall conduct any testing directed by the Employer. The Employer shall obtain the approval of the bargaining unit representative as to any laboratories put on this list, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.
Section 33.8 If after the testing required above has produced a positive result the Employer may require the employee to participate in any rehabilitation or detoxification program that is covered by the employee’s health insurance. Discipline allowed by the positive findings provided for above shall be deferred pending rehabilitation of the employee within a reasonable period. An employee who participates in a rehabilitation or detoxification program shall be allowed to use sick time and vacation leave for the period of the rehabilitation or detoxification program. If no such leave credits are available, the employee shall be placed on medical leave of absence without pay for the period of the rehabilitation or detoxification program. Upon completion of such program and upon receiving results from a retest demonstrating that the employee is no longer abusing a controlled substance/alcohol, the employee shall be returned to his/her former position. Such employee may be subject to periodic retesting upon his/her return to his/her position for a period of one (1) year from the date of his/her return to work. Any employee in a rehabilitation or detoxification program in accordance with this Article will not lose any seniority or benefits, should it be necessary for the employee to be placed on medical leave of absence without pay, for a period not to exceed ninety (90) days.
Section 33.9 If the employee refuses to undergo rehabilitation or detoxification, or if he/she tests positive during a retesting within one (1) year after his/her return to work from such a program, the employee shall be subject to disciplinary action, including removal from his/her position and termination of his/her employment.
Section 33.10 Costs of all drug screening tests and confirmatory tests shall be borne by the Employer except that any test initiated at the request of the employee shall be at the employee’s expense.
Section 33.11 The Employer may conduct four (4) tests of an employee during the one (1) year period after the employee has completed a rehabilitation or detoxification program as provided above.
Section 33.12 The provisions of this Article shall not require the Employer to offer a rehabilitation/detoxification program to any employee more than once.
