ARTICLE LEAVE OF ABSENCE The Employer, may, in its discretion, grant a leave of absence with or without pay to any employee for education personal reasons. Request for leave of absence shall be in writing and submitted to his supervisor who will forward the same to the designated Human Resources representative for approval. An employeeshall not be required to use his accumulated vacation before requesting a leave of absence for non-vacation purposes. The Employer shall grant leaves of absence without pay to up to four (4) employees to attend Union conventions or seminars, provided that: such leave does not unduly interfere with the operation requirements of the Employer; the total leave of absence granted hereunder shall not exceed twenty-five working days per year of the agreement; not more than one (1) employee from any program unit may receive leave hereunder at any one time and; the Union gives fourteen (14) clear notice of such leave to the Employer. Leave of absence due to pregnancy and/or parental leave shall be granted in accordance with the requirements of the Standards Act of Ontario If an employee who has completed his probationary period is required to serve as a juror, he shall not lose his regular pay because of such attendance provided he notifies his supervisor immediately upon notification that he will be required to serve as a juror, presents proof of service and promptly pays to the Employer any amounts paid to him for such service. Employees absent from work for any continuous period of fifteen (15) calendar days or more other than a period of vacation leave or paid sick leave shall not earn vacation or sick leave credits during the period of any such absence and anniversary dates shall be adjusted accordingly except as specified in Article In addition, the Employer shall not be required to contribute to the payment of health and welfare benefits during any such absence. Employees who desire to maintain health and welfare benefits through the Employer must arrange payments of premiums for all such benefits and pay all such premiums through the Employer before commencing any absence. Notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, it is agreed that the Employer shall maintain health and welfare benefits for employees who are off work on Long Term Disability or Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Benefits for a period of up to one (1) year from the date such employee ceased working for the Employer provided the employee pays his portion of the health and welfare benefits premium. An employee shall be entitled to paternity leave which shall consist of one (1)day with pay and two (2) days without pay.
