Sick Leave Donor Bank

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A Sick Leave Donor Bank will be established at each school.

• All donated leave to the Bank by employees will be for that school only
• Each bargaining unit employee will donate two (2) hours of personal leave per SY only
• The committee is comprised of 2 Bargaining Unit Members and 1 manager.
• Sick leave is donated to the Bank and disbursed by the Committee in accordance with the procedures established.
• Employees may donate more sick leave into the bank at any time during the year, if they choose.
• Sick leave may be donated in any amount up to 120 hours.
• Only employees who have depleted their sick leave hours are eligible to access sick leave hours from this bank.
• Unused year end balances in the bank will be carried over from year to year.

Reference: CBA Article 30, Section 9 pg. 103

Purpose:

The sick leave bank was established to help employees requiring additional sick leave.  Rather than requesting sick leave donations through email; this bank is established to insure there is available leave for those who need assistance.

Questions

How did this happen?

When negotiations began on the new CBA, employees were asked to submit any issues they would like addressed.  The members the Union did hear from indicated that not having a sick leave bank was a major issue.

The negotiators of the agreement took this and other suggestions to the table.

Negotiators are a small group of people who have to consider the best interest of all those that they represent.  The Union represents all bargaining unit members.  A negotiation is a compromise between management and the Union.  By law, the negotiators are required to have the authority to enter into agreements which bind the parties they represent. The sick leave bank is an issue that is collective and everyone must be considered.  The Union realizes the demographics of our employees and believes this assured accessibility to sick leave will become necessary for the majority and is a valuable benefit to employees.

In the future when negotiations for the CBA are announced, remember it is your responsibility and opportunity to inform the Union as to what issues you would like addressed and considered.

Why weren’t we given an option to use sick leave rather than personal leave?

During negotiations, both Union and Management determined it would be in the employees’ best interest to use personal leave because it has less value than sick leave in the long term.

Personal leave is at present wage.  Unused PL is paid out at 75% of your present wage at the end of the year. Whereas, sick leave is earned at your present wage, but will be used at the end of your career with the government at your highest wage level.  Also, sick leave will be converted to time in service.  Employees do not have this option with personal leave.  If you retire on or before Tuesday, December 31, 2013 you can only use ½ of your accrued sick leave toward time in service but if you retire after Tuesday, January 01, 2014 you can use the entire amount toward your time in service.

Can individual work sites have any control over how this donation process will work?

A Sick Leave Donor Bank Committee should be established at each site early in the academic year.  This committee may then study the CBA and work with HR personnel to somewhat customize the process to best accommodate the site’s needs.   All committees will have to follow the established requirements but there is some leeway for the committee on certain decisions.

Please see CBA Article 30, Section 9 pg. 103

Why now?  Why not at the beginning of the year?

The reason it wasn’t taken out at the beginning of this school year is because NBC (payroll) had to design a software program specifically to track these hours, which was just recently accomplished.  Beginning next year, the deduction will automatically occur at the beginning of the school year. 

What if you have used your personal leave?

FOR THIS YEAR ONLY due to the late implementation, HR is willing to let employees who have already used their personal leave earn two hours of compensatory leave, which could be substituted for the two hour donation into the sick leave bank.  An amendment by the Business Tech (time keeper) will be necessary for this to happen.

What about Management; are they contributing to this Leave Bank?

To correct any misconceptions, Management is donating two (2) administrative leave hours for each bargaining unit member, as a matching contribution.