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1. Vacations
Vacation entitlement for regular employees shall be based on regular service from date of hire as a Globe employee determined at December 31 of each year. Date of hire is defined as the first day on the Globe full-time payroll.
Vacation Entitlement
0 - 3 months -- 0
3 months - 1 year -- 1 week*
1 year - 7 years -- 3 weeks
8 years - 17 years -- 4 weeks
18 years or more -- 5 weeks
*(after completing six months)
An employee who becomes eligible for a third, fourth or fifth week of vacation due to his/her length of service during the first five (5) months of any calendar year will be treated as having earned that service as of the previous December 31. Such additional week vacation may be taken after completing six (6) months' service in the calendar year.
Part-time employees other than co-op students shall receive vacation benefits on a pro-rata basis in proportion to hours worked. One and one-quarter vacation days credit will be earned for each one-hundred ninety-five (195) hours worked, and part-time employees who have worked a minimum of 600 hours per year for a total of five (5 calendar years shall earn 1.5 vacation day for each one hundred ninety-five hours (195) hours worked.
When a part-time employee has worked as a part-time employee a minimum of 600 hours per year for a total of ten (10) calendar years, two vacation daysâ credit will be earned for each one hundred ninety-five (195) hours worked. For employees with more than ten (10) years' part-time service the most recent ten (10) years will be used in making this computation.
These years do not have to be consecutive. During the calendar year, such part-time employees may draw against their vacation day credit balance accumulated through the preceding December 31. For purposes of this paragraph, vacation and holiday time shall be included in hours worked. Part-time employeesâ weekly pay stubs will indicate their hours of vacation entitlement remaining. The number of vacation days taken by a part time employee and paid in a work week will be determined by the actual average number of days worked in the six months before the vacation is taken. No more than 1/3 of vacation days (rounded to the nearest whole number) may be taken as single days, pursuant to the provisions of Section 2(F) below.
1A.Vacation Pay
Payment for vacation, holiday and paid leaves of absence shall be calculated to include a bargaining unit employeeâs base pay, merit pay and shift differential.
1B. Change in Status
A full time employee whose status changes to part time shall receive credit for full time years of service toward his/her part time vacation entitlement. Each year of full time service shall count as one year of part time service toward the rate of vacation credits earned."
A full time employee whose status changes to part time may either: (i) take up to eight (8) unused, accrued vacation days during the first calendar year of employment in a part time position together with compensation for any remaining unused vacation time or (ii) accept full compensation for all unused vacation time. All scheduling of vacation days shall be subject to approval by the department head, provided such decisions are made in accordance with other provisions of the contract.
(a) A part time employee, with more than 5 years of service of at least 600 hours in at least five of those years, who converts to a full time position shall receive credit toward vacation entitlement as follows: for each year of 600 hours but less than 1000 hours, 3 months credit will be given and for each year of 1000 hours or more 6 months credit will be given.
(b) Current full time employees who, when they became full time, had more than 5 years of part time service of at least 600 hours in at least five of those years, shall receive credit toward vacation entitlement as follows: for each year of pension service earned while they were part time, they shall receive 6 months credit toward vacation service.
2. Vacation Scheduling
Annual vacation may be scheduled from January 1 through December 31 of each year except that up to ten days may be carried over through April 30 of the following year.
A. Contingent upon staffing needs, scheduled vacations may begin any time of the year and any day of the week.B. Except in cases of emergency or heavy work periods as agreed to by the Union and Employer, department heads may not establish a period of time during which vacations may not be allowed, but they may limit the number of employees scheduled for vacation in any given work week.
C. An employee shall have the right to exchange a scheduled vacation with another employee with the department headâs approval and where no seniority conflicts would result.
D. No bargaining unit employee may waive any vacation due under this agreement. Employee requests for vacation time off shall be determined on the basis of bargaining unit seniority, for requests made through May 15. Any vacation requests made after May 15 will not result in the displacement of scheduled vacation time for any employee who scheduled his/her vacation prior to May 15 regardless of his/her bargaining unit seniority. Any employee who does not submit a vacation schedule by October 15 for the calendar year may be subject to having that vacation scheduled by the department head.
E. An employee eligible for three or more weeks of vacation may take two consecutive weeks of vacation. Any request for three or more consecutive weeks must be approved by the department head. Employees should make such request as soon as possible. The amount of notice given and the amount of vacation entitlement shall be given due
consideration by the department head in making his/her decision. No such request will be unreasonably denied and any such denial by a department head shall be based on legitimate business needs. Any grievance and arbitration arising from this section shall be facilitated according to the partiesâ side letter agreement, âFacilitated Grievance Processâ?.F. Subject to Paragraph A above, two weeks of vacation may be scheduled one day at a time at the employeeâs request. Except in cases of emergency, employees shall schedule single vacation days at least eight (8) days in advance.
3. Vacation Seniority
In scheduling vacations, bargaining unit seniority shall be the deciding factor where there are conflicts.
4. Holidays
Regular employees shall be entitled to the following nine (9) holidays plus their birthday that fall within their period of employment, namely:
New Yearâs Day
Martin Luther King Day
Presidentsâ Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Columbus Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas
The employeeâs birthday holiday may be scheduled by the employee with his/her department head and taken anytime during a calendar year regardless of when the actual birthday occurs.
Notwithstanding the provisions of Article V, Section 5, instead of the above-named nine (9) holidays and the employeeâs birthday, regular night workers shall have the option of taking ten (10) days off, or taking one week off (5 work days) plus five (5) daysâ pay. However, not more than three (3) weeks of any vacation shall be consecutive except by arrangement with the management.
Employees with ten or more year's full-time service will not be required to work on Thanksgiving or Christmas (Christmas Eve for night and lobster shift workers). Employees with twenty or more year's full-time service will not be required to work holidays. This clause shall not apply to departments or sub-departments in which, at the time of the holiday, 80 percent or more of the full-time employees in any bargaining unit classification have the required years of service stated above, but would apply when that department or subdepartment falls below 80 percent of employees in any classification who have the required years of service stated above.
Part-time or temporary employees other than co-op students shall receive holiday benefits on a pro-rata basis in proportion to hours worked.
One holiday credit will be earned by a part-time or temporary employee for each one hundred ninety-five (195) hours worked. Such employees may draw against accumulated credits, if any, to receive holiday pay only if a holiday described above falls within their period of employment. Part-time employeesâ weekly pay stubs will indicate their hours of holiday entitlement remaining.
5. Holiday Compensation
Any employee required to work on a holiday, which falls on his/her regular day off, must be compensated with either of the following options:
1) two and one-half daysâ pay (this includes the holiday pay), or
2) two and one-half days off.
Any employee required to work on a holiday which falls on a regularly scheduled work day must be compensated with either of the following options:
1) two daysâ pay (this includes the holiday pay), or
2) one day off and one dayâs pay.
Time off must be scheduled within four weeks of the holiday.
When an employeeâs regular day off falls on a holiday, he/she shall receive an additional dayâs pay, or equivalent time off scheduled by mutual agreement.
When an employeeâs days off have been changed during a week in which a holiday occurs, resulting in such employeeâs working five (5) straight-time days in such a week, such employee shall receive an additional day off scheduled by mutual agreement.
5A.Religious Holidays
An employee whose beliefs require him/her to be absent from work for a religious holiday on a day on which he/she is scheduled to work shall be allowed to work during one of the above holidays in exchange for the religious holiday. In such a case, the employee will receive regular pay for both days.
6. Globe Shutdown
In the event of the Globe plant shutdown through no fault of the Union or its members, a bargaining unit employee shall receive, on request, any vacation compensation to which he/she is entitled. In addition, full-time night and lobster workers who have accrued holidays pursuant to Article V, Section 4, shall also receive, on request, any holiday compensation for which he/she is entitled.
7. Absence Credit
The Employer agrees that regular full-time employees who terminate and later return shall be given credit for that previous full-time employment after they have been re-employed for a period of time equal to the period of their absence or five (5) years, whichever is shorter.
The previous time will be credited toward experience in classification, for the purposes of seniority and all benefits other than pension except where applicable under the terms of the Pension Plan.
8. Vacation Credit
If any employee, including probationary employees, leaves the Globe or loses time from work due to disciplinary suspension, his/her vacation credit shall be pro-rated based on the number of work weeks actually worked. Employees who have disciplinary suspensions removed will have lost vacation credits restored. In cases of workersâ compensation and long-term disability, employees will earn full vacation credit for the first six months of the leave. Thereafter, no vacation credit will be earned until the employee returns to work.
9. Military Service
Section 1.
Any bargaining unit employee who leaves the employment of the Employer to enter military service of the United States or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts shall, upon request, be deemed on leave of absence, and on release from such service shall resume his/her position or a similar one under the conditions set forth in the Universal Military Training and Service Act or any subsequent legislation amendatory thereof: a) that he/she are able and competent to perform the work, b) that the opportunity for such work has not been wiped out by the necessary reduction of the force, c) that he/she applies for reinstatement within ninety (90) days of his/her honorable discharge, with certificate, from service.
Section 2.
In the event such bargaining unit employee is incapacitated during or at termination of military service and the Employer is unable to place him or her in any other mutually agreeable position he/she shall be granted severance pay in accordance with Articles VIA and IX. If an employee dies while in military service, the benefits accruing under Articles VIA and IX of this Agreement shall apply.
Section 3.
In setting classifications and rates of pay for bargaining unit employees returning from military service, the Employer shall give due consideration to the training and experience which such employees have received while on military leave.
Section 4.
A bargaining unit employee on entering military service shall receive two weeksâ pay plus accrued vacation pay in cash as provided in Article V. Any remaining portion of accrued vacation credit not paid in cash shall be added to any credits accruing in the first year in which he/she resumed employment. Vacations in the year employment is resumed shall be computed on service time as defined in Article V.
Section 5.
In order to give full protection to bargaining unit employees, any replacement for an employee on military or other approved leave shall be considered temporary and shall be so reported to the Union. Such temporary employee shall enjoy all the benefits provided temporary employees under the provisions of this agreement and assume all the obligations of the agreement. He/she shall be subject to dismissal at the discretion of the Employer upon the return to employment of the employee he/she has replaced.
Section 6.
Provisions of this article need not apply to a person dishonorably discharged and shall apply only during the life of this agreement.
Section 7.
In the event that bargaining unit employees are elevated temporarily to a higher classification for the purpose of filling the places of those bargaining unit employees who enter the service of the United States, such employees may be restored to the lower classification upon the return of the former employees from such service, and the salary of the substituting employees may be adjusted accordingly.
Section 8.
Expiration. Leave of absence for military service shall expire when the bargaining unit employeeâs re-employment rights expire under the provisions of the Universal Military Training and Service Act, as amended.
Section 9.
Group Life Insurance. The Group Life Insurance Plan provisions regarding authorized leaves of absence without pay shall apply during the military leave of a bargaining unit employee who was a member of the plan at the time the leave began, so long as the insurance company does not withdraw coverage of employees on military leave. Benefits and contributions during the leave shall be at the same benefit level as if the bargaining unit employee had remained at work in the same job. In the event of such a withdrawal, The Employer shall consult with the Union concerning possible alternate protection for bargaining unit employees then on military leave of absence.
Section 10.
Pension Plan. A bargaining unit employeeâs leave of absence for military service shall not constitute a break in service under the Plan. No additional pension benefits will accrue to the bargaining unit employee during the leave of absence period except during the first six months of such leave as provided in Article V, Section 16.
Section 11.
Vacation Upon Start of Military Leave. At the start of military leave, the bargaining unit employee shall be granted the full vacation or balance thereof that he/she would otherwise have received during the calendar year in which the military leave began. Upon returning from military leave the bargaining unit employee shall receive in the calendar year of re-employment, to the extent that he/she has not already done so, the vacation that he/she would have received in that year if he/she had remained at work and had not been on military leave.
Section 12.
Physical Incapacity. If a bargaining unit employee, upon his/her return from military leave, is found to be physically unable to resume his/her position, the Employer shall make all efforts to place him or her in another position and shall consult with the Union on these efforts. If another position is not found, the bargaining unit employee shall receive his/her severance pay under Article VIA.
Section 13.
Temporary Military Training. All sections of this paragraph, except for Sections 4 and 11, shall apply when a bargaining unit employee is required to enter full-time military service for an annual training period of up to and including ninety (90) consecutive days. The Employer, shall, however, grant him or her an unpaid leave of absence in addition to his/her regular vacation.
Section 14.
Bargaining unit employees entering the service of the United States as the result of being drafted or activated for more than six (6) months as aforesaid shall lose no benefits of severance, death or step rate provisions during their period of service.
Section 15.
When a bargaining unit employee is required to enter temporary full-time military service due to a local or national emergency, in addition to applying the provisions of this article the Employer shall for not more than thirty (30) consecutive calendar days pay him or her the amount by which his/her regular pay exceeds his/her military pay plus allowances, exclusive of travel allowance. The âregular payâ? for part time employees shall be calculated by dividing by 52 his/her total pay for the 52 weeks prior to his/her entering military service.
10. Sick Leave
A. An employee shall not forfeit any part of his/her pay because of absence on account of illness for up to fifteen (15) working days in any calendar year, or up to an additional fifteen (15) working days in any calendar year during a period of major illness. Accordingly, in cases of major illnesses an employee will be entitled to up to thirty (30) daysâ sick leave consisting of a fifteen-day (15) major illness allowance plus any unused portion of his/her fifteen (15) daysâ sick leave.
In order to qualify for a major illness allowance, an employee must be absent for five (5) working days or more due to his illness. All major illness days shall be subject to medical verification.
If an employee uses more than ten (10) of the allowable fifteen (15) single sick days in any calendar year, then any additional sick days (as well as verification of any major illness days) shall be subject to the Companyâs right to require medical verification of illness by a Globe medical department employee or a physician or other medical professional. The Globe Medical Department may confer with such physician or other medical professional to confirm the authenticity of the medical verification. Employees who are unable to provide such authentic medical verification may be subject to progressive discipline under Article II, Section 2, (Discharge and Disciplinary Action) of this contract. In addition, days, which are not verified, may be disallowed as sick days.
Employees who have used more than ten (10) single days in any two (2) consecutive calendar years shall have their single day allowance reduced to ten (10) the following calendar year, and shall remain at that level until the calendar year after they have used no more than eight (8) single days in a calendar year. Excepted from this provision are:
1) employees whose usage of single days is confirmed by the Globeâs Medical Department as having resulted from a documented, chronic or acute illness that causes them to be absent from work;
2) up to two (2) single sick days taken pursuant to Section 10(D) below; and
3) employees who prior to their usage of more than ten single days in two consecutive years have averaged five (5) or fewer single days over the prior five (5) years shall be allowed a third year before their single day allowance is so reduced.
Nothing herein shall affect the Globeâs right to impose appropriate progressive discipline. Pattern abuse of sick time may be subject to progressive discipline under Article II, Section 2, (Discharge and Disciplinary Action) of this contract.
Pattern abuse of sick time shall include, for example, the usage of sick days (either single or major) in a particular year-to-year historical pattern, or the usage, in a given year, of a majority of single sick days before or after other non-working days such as holidays, vacation days or scheduled days off.
Each department will have available a monthly Sick Leave Report which employees may review to ensure that their sick leave usage has been correctly recorded. Any discrepancies must be promptly reported so that errors can be timely corrected. Each January the Globe shall provide the Union a report detailing each employeeâs sick leave usage for the previous year.
B. Under an Agreement between the Globe Newspaper Company and the Boston Globe Employees Association, the Company agrees to maintain a long-term disability plan as enhanced in Section IIID of the Supplemental Agreement. A summary of the Plan is available in the Benefits Department.
C. If an employee has been away from work because of a major illness and is about to be eligible for long-term disability, he/she may use up to ten (10) sick days, which were unused, the previous year. This additional leave could only be used prior to expiration of the 45-day long-term disability waiting period.
D. Employees may use up to five (5) of their allowable fifteen (15) single sick days in any calendar year for the care of a spouse, child or parent who is ill.
E. Part-Time Sick Leave: Effective date of signing, part-time employees with at least five (5) years of employment of at least 600 hours in each of the five years will be eligible for one (1) day of sick leave annually. Sick leave may be subject to medical verification (which will be the same as that provided in Section A above for full time employees) and satisfactory attendance (regular coverage of their job). Part time employees can bank their one day if unused in any year for use in the following year, up to maximum of two (2) banked days which could then be used along with the day in the year they the time for a maximum of three (3) days in any one year. Part time employees using a sick day will be charged and paid for a full day (7 ½ hours) regardless of the hours he/she were scheduled to work that day.
11. Workersâ Compensation
The Employer will maintain workersâ compensation insurance which complies with state law. The Employer will administer a workerâs compensation benefit plan pursuant to the company policy on file with the personnel department. The employee benefits director shall provide essential information including a copy of the companyâs workerâs compensation policy within two (2) business days to persons who suffer an occupational injury or disease or to others who may request such information.
Bargaining unit employees who suffer an occupational injury or disease will be eligible for workerâs compensation benefits. Eligibility for workerâs compensation benefits does not preclude a full-time employeeâs rights to unused sick pay and/or long-term disability benefits.
Any amount received by a full-time employee under workerâs compensation (except hospital and medical expenses) for the period covered by paid sick leave may be deducted by the Employer.
No full-time employee eligible to receive workerâs compensation shall be required to take sick time.
The Employer will make full medical and pension contributions for up to eighteen (18) months for any full-time employee absent from work due to a workersâ compensation injury for the first time that employee is so absent. Any full-time employee absent for a second
period due to a worker compensation injury will have medical and pension contributions made by the Employer for up to twelve (12) months. The Employer will not make medical and pension contributions for a full-time employee absent from work for more than two periods of time due to a workersâ compensation injury. During the period for which Employer contributions are made, full-time employee payroll deductions for medical insurance will be waived.
Effective date of signing, part-time employees with at least five (5) years of employment of at least 600 hours in each of the five years will be eligible for one (1) day of sick leave annually. Sick leave
may be subject to medical verification (which will be the same as that provided in Section A above for full time employees) and satisfactory attendance (regular coverage of their job). Part time
employees can bank their one day if unused in any year for use in the following year, up to a maximum of two (2) banked days which could then be used along with the day in the year they use the time for a maximum of three (3) days in any one year. Part time employees using a sick day will be charged and paid for a full day (7 ½ hours) regardless of the hours he/she were scheduled to work that day.
12. Jury Duty
Any bargaining unit employee required to be absent from his/her regularly scheduled work to serve on a jury shall be paid his/her regular scheduled straight-time wages, less his/her jury wages, and will be made whole for any financial loss in accordance with applicable federal and state laws. Such absence shall be supported by a statement signed by the clerk of the court certifying as to each day of jury duty. All full-time employees serving such duty shall be given a work schedule with Saturdays and Sundays off during the term of said jury duty.
Night workers will be able to leave by midnight if scheduled for jury duty the next day, subject to the employee giving at least one weekâs notice to his/her department head,
13. Bereavement Leave
In the event an employeeâs wife, husband, spousal equivalent, mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother, grandchild, mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister-inlaw, brother-in-law, daughter-in-law or son-in-law dies, such employee shall be permitted to absent himself/herself from work without loss of pay on any of his/her regularly scheduled working days following within three (3) consecutive days, one of which shall be the day of the funeral. This shall not apply when the funeral occurs at a time when the employee is on vacation or leave of absence.
If the deceased person is not a member of the immediate family as defined above, the employee may request a vacation day or unpaid day off to attend the funeral of these relatives: aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or cousin.
Regular part-time employees shall be permitted to absent himself/herself from work without loss of pay on (1) one regularly scheduled workday per year to attend the funeral of a spouse, spousal equivalent, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, daughter-in-law or son-in-law. Such part-time employee must have at least five (5) years of employment of 600 paid hours per year (which may be non-consecutive) to qualify for such leave.
The Employer agrees to provide bargaining unit employees with a free âDeath Noticeâ? advertisement in cases of deaths in the immediate family of the employee. The immediate family shall be defined as spouse, children, parents, brothers and sisters.
14. Pregnancy/Child-Birth Leave
A. An employee who gives birth to a child shall be entitled to a pregnancy/child-birth leave for a period of up to three (3) months. During the leave the employee may first use the unused portion of her sick leave (up to 30 working days maximum pursuant to Section 10 of this Article) and then may schedule remaining unused vacation days. Any employee disabled by pregnancy for more than three (3) months will be entitled to benefits under the Employerâs long-term disability plan.
B. An employee on pregnancy/child-birth leave of absence shall accrue length of service credits for the first three (3) months for all benefits, including pension, relating to or depending upon length of employment, provided the employee returns to work.
C. The Employer agrees to maintain all life and health insurance coverage during pregnancy/child-birth leave subject to any participation required by the Employer of the employee.
D. An employee returning from pregnancy/child-birth leave shall be restored to her former position at the salary she would have received had employment been continuous.
15. Family and Medical Leave
In addition to the provisions of Section 14 above, all employees who become parents of newborn or newly adopted children; who are required to care for a foster child; or who, because of their own serious health condition or the serious health condition of a spouse, child or parent seek a leave of absence from work, shall be entitled to a leave of absence of no more than twelve (12) weeks in any given calendar year. In all instances outlined above, this leave is unpaid, except that: a) the employee may schedule unused vacation days; and b) primary caregivers for newly adopted children may use the unused portion of his/her sick leave (up to 30 working days maximum pursuant to Section 10 of this Article). To qualify for such use of sick leave, a primary caregiver must certify that he or she is the parent who will be at home responsible for the daily care of an adopted child under the age of 12 and that there is no other parent available in the home for such care.
For the purpose of this section only, âemployeesâ? are defined to include employees who have worked for at least one year and have worked at least 1,000 hours during the twelve (12) months prior to the requested leave.
The provisions of Section 14, Paragraphs B and C above shall apply to this section for fulltime employees only. The provisions of Section 14, Paragraph D shall apply to those employees as defined in this section.
Specific administration of this Section 15 will be in compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-3), as clarified by Regulations (interim and final) to be issued.
The parties will meet to discuss the application of the Regulations to employees in the bargaining unit.
16. Unpaid Leaves of Absence
In addition to the provisions of Sections 14 and 15 above, unpaid leaves of absence for up to one year for good and sufficient reason in the opinion of the Employer (including family reasons) shall be granted upon written request and shall not be unreasonably denied to fulltime employees with more than two years of full-time employment as a Globe employee.
The Union will be so notified of any such approved request. In extraordinary circumstances, in the case of leaves for family reasons only, absences may be extended for an additional one-year based on the needs of the newspaper.
An employee on leave of absence shall accrue length of service credits for the first six (6) months for all benefits, including pension, relating to or depending upon length of employment, provided the employee returns to work. After the first six (6) months of the leave, the employee shall accrue length of service credits for pension benefits only.
The Employer agrees to maintain all life insurance coverage during a leave of absence. The Employer will maintain all health insurance coverage for the first six (6) months, subject to any participation required by the Employer of the employee. After the six (6) months, the employee will be responsible for the entire health insurance contribution.
An employee who goes on a leave of absence will be returned to his/her former or equivalent position at the end of the leave with no loss of pay.
17. Court Appearances
Exclusive of personal business, a bargaining unit employee who has been subpoenaed to appear in court shall be paid his/her regular straight-time wages.
18. Sabbatical Leave
Sabbatical leaves for self improvement may be granted upon written request at the discretion of the Employer, who will coordinate the financial arrangements with the employee.
19. Job Sharing
The Company will offer opportunities for job sharing, the pairing of two employees to share the work of one job for one year. The scheduling of hours, days, weeks and months will be determined by managers in consultation with participants.
It is ultimately the decision of the Globe as to whether and when an individual job-sharing arrangement may be established and how many such pairings may be in place at one time. For a proposal to be approved, it must not have an adverse impact on the operation of the paper and must not result in an increase in cost to the paper.
The program will be open only to full-time staff members with two or more years of service and each pairing arrangement will last one year. It is presumed that each pair of employees who seek to establish a job-sharing arrangement would be in the same job classification and same department, but other proposals may be considered.
Except in an extreme emergency situation, participants will be expected to fulfill their commitment to complete a full year in the job-sharing arrangement. At the end of the year, all participants are guaranteed the right of their full-time jobs.
Participants will retain their full fringe benefits and remain on the full-time payroll but will receive pro-rated salary based on the hours worked. Overtime will be paid on the basis of time beyond the regular workday as described elsewhere in this agreement. The number of paid vacation days will be half of what the normal entitlement would be; the number of paid holidays will be four (4), plus the birthday holiday, for a total of five (5) paid holidays.
Written proposals should be signed by both applicants and submitted to department heads with a copy to the BNG office.
20. Temporary Reduced Work Schedules (Medical)
The employer will reasonably accommodate requests from employees who are capable of returning to work on a reduced hours and/or work basis from worker compensation or long term disability leaves of absence. The employer will notify the Union in writing of all such requests, the expected return to work date (which shall not be sooner than fourteen (14) days thereafter), details of the reduced schedule, and the expected duration of the reduced schedule. The employer will request that the Union agree to the proposed reduced work schedule. Upon request by the Union, the parties shall meet to discuss the terms of the reduced work schedule. At the end of the fourteen (14) days, if the parties cannot reach agreement, the parties will retain their respective statutory and contractual rights.
January 6, 2001