Classified and unclassified employees working a forty (40) hour workweek shall accrue sick leave at the rate of 3.70 hours biweekly up to a maximum of 1,200 hours unless otherwise specified in a collective bargaining agreement. No sick leave may be granted before it is accrued.
In the event an employee exhausts their paid sick leave during a pay period the accruals must be prorated based on the number of paid hours during the pay period.
Provided the employee has an accrued sick leave balance, sick leave may be granted for absence from duty because of personal illness, illness of a spouse, domestic partner, son, daughter, or parent as these terms are defined in Section 401.11, L.
Personal illness is defined to include scheduled doctor's appointments for health examination, evaluation and/or treatment. Doctor's appointments may require documentation. Hours worked in addition to the regularly scheduled workweek will not entitle the employee to additional sick leave benefits.
Part-time employees, classified and unclassified, working twenty (20) hours or more per workweek will receive sick leave on a prorated basis.
Employees categorized as temporary, seasonal, student or part time working less than twenty (20) hours per week are not eligible for sick leave.
A. Certification of Sick Leave
Employees absent from work where such absence is chargeable to sick leave, may be required to provide their supervisor with a doctor's statement certifying the absence from work was due to illness or injury and the employee is now able to perform the essential functions of the job.
Any employee taking sick leave shall, upon returning to work, complete a Request for Leave form, indicating the type of sick leave claimed and the dates of absence.
Employees who make a false claim for sick leave, sign a certificate/statement containing a false statement, refuse to be examined by a doctor selected by the City, or fails to cooperate in any investigation by the City of their claim for sick leave shall not be entitled to any leave with pay for the time in dispute. Such actions are considered just cause for disciplinary action up to and including termination.
B. Sick Leave Clearance
Employees returning after five (5) or more consecutive workdays of sick leave must submit to the Human Resources Department a release from their personal physician. The Human Resources Department will then refer the employee to the City Clinic for a return to work clearance and certification that the employee is able to perform the essential functions of the job. However, nothing will prohibit a supervisor from requesting a sick leave clearance from employees returning for a period of less than five (5) consecutive workdays of sick leave.
C. Sick Leave Conversion
The maximum sick leave accumulation for classified employees will be 1,200 hours for a forty (40) hour workweek or a prorated amount for a regular workweek other than forty (40) hours unless otherwise specified by a collective bargaining agreement. Employees who have reached the specified accumulation levels listed below may exercise one of the available options. The option to convert sick leave will be offered only in November of each year. Employees electing to not convert sick leave will continue to accrue sick leave up to the maximum of 1200 hours.
The following conversion formula will be used to convert accumulated sick leave unless otherwise specified in a collective bargaining agreement:
Options
1. Sick leave accumulation over 500 hours may be converted at:
a. Three (3) hours of sick leave to one (1) hour of vacation, or
b. Three (3) hours of sick leave to one (1) hour cash payment.
2. Sick leave accumulation over 850 hours may be converted at:
a. Two (2) hours of sick leave to one (1) hour of vacation, or
b. Two (2) hours of sick leave to one (1) hour cash payment.
3. Sick leave over 1,200 hours must be converted at:
a. Three (3) hours of sick leave to two (2) hours of vacation, or
b. Three (3) hours of sick leave to two (2) hours cash payment.
D. Sick Leave Conversion at Retirement
An employee may convert 100% of accumulated sick leave to be applied to early retirement leave immediately prior to the effective date of retirement. Refer to Section 403.10 of these Regulations.
Employees may convert 100% of both sick and vacation leave accumulation to cash payment at the time of retirement.
E. Sick Leave Conversion at Termination
An employee who has an accumulation of sick leave of between 500 hours and the maximum accrual will, upon termination from city employment, be allowed to convert accumulated sick leave in excess of 500 hours on the basis of three (3) hours of sick leave to one (1) hour of cash payment. This applies regardless of the option the employee selects in November of each year.
This benefit does not apply to employees terminated for cause. Employees terminated for cause will not be allowed to convert their accrued sick leave to cash payment.
F. Sick Leave Death Benefit
Upon the death of a City employee, the City will pay cash to the designated beneficiary (as identified in the City's life insurance policy) for sick leave accrued by the employee. The employee must be in an employment status that authorizes the accrual of sick leave benefits.
G. Sick Leave Incentive Leave
Employees must have been employed with the City for six (6) consecutive months in order to participate in the sick leave incentive program as follows:
1. Employees utilizing zero (0) hours of sick leave for six (6) consecutive months will be awarded eight (8) hours of vacation leave.
2. Employees utilizing less than or equal to 12.5 percent of accrued sick leave over six (6) consecutive months will be awarded four (4) hours of vacation leave.
3. Part-time employees transferring to full-time positions within the specified six (6) consecutive month period will receive sick leave incentive as if they had been full-time employees for the entire six (6) month period.
4. Departments will review sick leave usage twice a year for the periods, July 1 through December 31 and January 1 through June 30.
5. Employees on injury time are not eligible for incentive leave with the exception of light duty and FMLA.
6. Employees on suspension or administrative leave resulting from a disciplinary action that is sustained through administrative or judicial process will not be eligible for incentive leave.
7. Employees utilizing donated leave will not be eligible for incentive leave unless the donated leave was used for FMLA purposes.
8. Part-time employees working twenty (20) hours or more per week, if eligible, will receive incentive leave on a prorated basis.
This regulation shall be the only means of providing sick leave incentive for City employees. Employees categorized as temporary, seasonal, student or part-time working less than twenty (20) hours per week are not eligible to participate in the sick leave incentive program.