LEAVE OF ABSENCE Voluntary
11.01.01 When the requirements of the Company permit, an employee, upon written request through their immediate Supervisor, may be granted a voluntary leave of absence without pay for a period exceeding thirty (30) consecutive calendar days but not exceeding one (1) year. Requests for thirty (30) consecutive calendar days or less will be handled as time off in accordance with Article 14.06.
11.01.02 Requests for leaves of absence will be considered in order of seniority among those on hand from the location at the time of granting.
11.01.03 The Company will indicate its approval of the leave in writing, including commencement and termination dates, preferably fourteen (14) or more calendar days prior to the requested commencement date of the leave. Once approved, a leave may not be cancelled except by mutual agreement between the employee and the Company.
11.01.04 If the employee wishes to return to work prior to the approved termination of the leave, the employee will make the request to the designated management person. The request will be in writing at least fourteen (14) calendar days in advance of the requested termination date; in extenuating circumstances, the fourteen (14) day requirement may be waived. The Company will provide a response to the request within seven (7) calendar days of its receipt and may authorize a return to work on the date requested or another day mutually acceptable to both Company and employee, or the Company may deny the request.
11.01.05 When a leave of absence is terminated prior to the originally approved date, no other employee will be displaced. The Company will advise the employee in writing of its decision on the request to terminate the leave.
11.01.06 A leave of absence may be extended upon written request to the Company, copied to Union Headquarters, provided the request is received no later than fourteen (14) days prior to the termination of the leave of absence and provided there is mutual agreement between the Company and the Union Bargaining Committee Representative to extend the leave of absence. The Company will provide a response to the request within seven (7) calendar days of its receipt.
11.01.07 An employee who engages in other employment while on leave of absence will be deemed to have resigned unless they have specific permission to engage in such other employment from the Company. Such permission will not be refused unreasonably.
11.01.08 Pay progressions will be retarded by a period of time equal to the length of the leave of absence.
11.01.09 Employees on a voluntary leave of absence will have their vacation entitlement reduced in accordance with Article 15.02.02.
11.01.10 Seniority will continue to accrue during the first ninety (90) consecutive calendar days of the leave of absence. On termination of a leave of absence which extends beyond ninety (90) consecutive calendar days, the employee will be assigned an adjusted Seniority Date which will reflect that part of the leave of absence which exceeded ninety (90) consecutive calendar days.
11.01.11 If desired by the employee, benefits coverage will be provided with the employee paying the full cost of premiums. Such coverage will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Group Insurance Plan.
