Physics TA Sick Leave Policy
March 15, 2016
The page describes the TA Sick Leave Policy, which has been in effect since November, 2009. It refers to TAs as "employees".
A. Sick Leave Credit Bank
At the beginning of each appointment period an employee will be credited with a bank of sick leave days. The number of days credited to an employee's sick leave bank depends on the length of the appointment period as follows:
1. Employees appointed for an academic or calendar year will be credited with twelve (12) days in their sick leave bank;
2. Employees appointed for one (1) semester will be credited with six (6) days in their sick leave bank;
3. Employees who are appointed for other periods of time shall be credited with days in their sick leave bank based on the formula of one (1) day of sick leave credit for each thirty (30) days (or portion thereof) of their appointment [with a minimum appointment of three (3) weeks].
Unused sick leave shall accumulate as described below from appointment period to appointment period only within the same department and in the same title. Sick leave may not be used in increments of less than one half day. At the beginning of each appointment period, the number of sick leave days credited to the employee's sick leave credit bank under 1., 2., and 3., above, shall be supplemented to the following extent by unused sick leave carried over from the employee's immediate previous appointment:
a. At the beginning of an appointment period any combination of sick leave carry over and newly accredited sick leave shall not exceed twelve (12) days.
b. In the event that an individual has a break in appointments in the same department and title between one academic year and the next, or a break of less than two (2) weeks duration at other times during an academic year, sick leave carry over as outlined above shall be provided.
B. Sick Leave for Employees
Employees may use days in their sick leave bank for personal illness, bodily injuries, maternity, or exposure to contagious disease: (1) which requires the employee's confinement; or (2) which renders the employee unable to perform assigned duties; or (3) where performance of assigned duties would jeopardize the employee's health or recovery. In the event the Employer has reason to believe that an employee is abusing the sick leave privilege or may not be physically fit to return to work, the Employer may require a medical certificate or other appropriate verification for absences covered by this Section.
Employees may use sick leave for personal medical and dental appointments which cannot be scheduled at times other than during scheduled work hours. To qualify for use of sick leave under this Section, employees must give the Employer three (3) days advance notice of appointments except when emergency conditions prevail.
C. Sick Leave for Care of Family Member
Employees may use accrued sick leave for temporary emergency care of ill or injured members of the immediate family, or for other family emergencies, for a limited period of time to permit the employee to make other arrangements. Immediate family is defined as, and limited to: the spouse, the spouse equivalent residing in the household of the employee, parents, stepparents, grandparents, foster parents, children, stepchildren, grandchildren, foster children, brothers (and their spouses), and sisters (and their spouses) of the employee or spouse, and other relatives of the employee or spouse residing in the household of the employee. Use of sick leave for the purposes of this Section is limited to five (5) work days for any one illness or injury; however, the use of sick leave may be extended to cover unusual circumstances provided prior approval of the immediate supervisor is obtained.
D. Funeral Leave
Where death occurs in the employee's immediate family (as defined in Section C., above), sick leave may be used to attend the funeral and/or make necessary arrangements. Sick leave shall normally be used during the seven (7) calendar day period immediately following the death. Where mitigating circumstances require a postponement in funeral arrangements, sick leave may be used at an appropriate later date for directly related purposes. Use of sick leave for death in the immediate family for the purposes of this Section is limited to a total of three (3) work days, plus required travel time not to exceed four (4) work days.
E. Use of Sick Leave Credits
An employee's sick leave bank will be charged for days that an employee does not perform his/her required duties for any of the reasons outlined in Section B., C., or D., above, unless other acceptable arrangements are made including but not limited to:
1. The employee obtains unpaid peer substitute coverage acceptable to the employee's immediate supervisor and the department chair; or
2. The employee makes arrangements with his/her immediate supervisor to fulfill the required duties through other acceptable means; or
3. The employee can fulfill the required duties at a different time and the employee's immediate supervisor agrees to permit the employee to perform those duties at a different time.
In the event that an employee fails to perform his/her required duties because of any of the reasons outlined in Section B., C., or D., above, and the employee has exhausted the days in the employee's sick leave bank, any days missed shall result in the employee being removed from the payroll for such missed days.
If an employee is faced with a loss of salary due to injury, illness, or disability, upon request of the Union, the Union and the University Contract Administrator will meet to explore all reasonable avenues to avoid such loss.
F. Substitutes
Employees using sick leave under this section are not required to find substitutes for that time. The employee shall be responsible for notifying the Department as soon as possible after the need to use sick leave is determined. Nothing in this section shall preclude the Department from asking the employee for assistance in identifying a substitute.