Seniority During Leaves of Absence and Employment Reinstatement. An employee shall retain and continue to accumulate seniority while on all Company approved leaves of absence unless otherwise specifically provided in the Section of this Agreement governing the leave of absence, provided, however, that in no event shall seniority continue to accumulate beyond a maximum of six (6) months. In extenuating circumstances, a leave of absence may be extended upon approval of the Company. Reinstatement to active employment in the employee’s job classification following any approved leave of absence is expressly conditioned on the returning employee presently having the necessary skill and ability to perform the required work and the employee’s availability to work the required hours of the job position. No leave of absence shall be given for the purpose of obtaining or working at other employment. An employee’s seniority with the Company and the employment relationship shall terminate if the employee works at other employment during a leave of absence. An employee’s seniority with the Company and the employment relationship shall terminate if the employee falsifies reasons for the leave of absence request. An employee returning from a leave of absence of up to a maximum of ninety (90) days shall be offered reinstatement to the employee’s former job position in the employee’s job classification. A recurring leave of absence within thirty (30) days of the return to work shall be considered and counted as a continuation of the previous leave of absence unless it is necessitated by a medical condition unrelated to the cause of the previous leave of absence. An employee returning from a leave of absence of more than ninety (90) days shall be offered reinstatement to the employee’s former job position in the employee’s job classification if the former job position is open and available, and if the employee’s former job position in the employee’s job classification is not available, the employee shall be offered a comparable job position which is open in the employee's job classification, provided that the employee presently has the necessary qualifications, skill, ability to perform the required work in the comparable job position and can satisfactorily meet the required hours of the comparable job position. If there is no such job position available in the employee’s job classification, reinstatement shall not occur until the employee’s former job position in the employee’s job classification or a comparable job position in the emplo...
