Paid Leaves of Absence Paid leaves of absences granted under this Article shall not exceed the employee's normal work schedule.
Unpaid Leaves of Absence 24.01 An employee who has completed one (1) year of continuous service with the Employer may be granted a leave of absence without pay or benefits because of injury, illness, education purposes, employment by the Union, or other personal reasons, including maternity leave. The decision to grant the leave or the length of the leave period will be at the discretion of the Employer with due consideration given to the reasons and evidence presented by the employee to the Employer. Such requests shall not be unreasonably denied. 24.02 All leaves of absence (and any extensions thereof) must be applied for and granted in writing on forms provided by the Employer (with a copy to the employee). Except in cases of emergency, the leave request shall be filed with the employee's Department Head not later than two (2) weeks prior to the date on which the leave is to start. Along with the request for the leave, he shall supply any and all available documentation in support of said leave. This documentation shall consist of medical proof of disability in cases where the leave is for medical purposes and the specific reason for the leave when the leave is for other purposes. An employee will be notified in writing within five (5) working days from the date the application was made of the approval or disapproval of the leave of absence request for ten (10) working days or less. For a leave request in excess of ten (10) working days, the employee will be notified within two (2) weeks from the date the application was made of the approval or disapproval of the leave. An employee who is granted such a leave shall not accrue any benefits during his absence, including seniority. 24.03 Leaves of absence will not be granted for the employee to seek employment with another employer, nor shall any employee work for another employer during the time period he is on leave. Any employee who works for another employer while on leave shall have his leave canceled immediately and be subject to disciplinary action. 24.04 When an employee returns to work after a leave of absence, he will be assigned to the position which he formerly occupied or to a similar position if his former position no longer exists at the applicable rate of pay, provided the employee is able to perform the work. 24.05 An employee may, upon request, return to work prior to the expiration of any leave of absence, provided that such early return is agreed to by the Employer. 24.06 Employees absent from work without authorization or approval shall be considered on an unauthorized leave. An unauthorized leave for a period of more than four (4) eight (8) hour consecutive working days may, at the Employers discretion, subject the employee to disciplinary action, including discharge.
LEAVES OF ABSENCE applies for both paid and unpaid leaves. For the purposes of an unpaid 11.25 hour shift, the deduction from pay shall equate to 14.05 hours. For the purposes of an unpaid 7.5 hour shift, the deduction from pay shall equate to 9.375 hours.
Unpaid Leave of Absence If an employee is on an unpaid leave of absence, then vacation leave, compensatory time, or sick leave cannot be used for the purpose of maintaining eligibility for an Employer Contribution by keeping the employee on a State payroll for one (1) working day per pay period.