Sick leave shall be provided to each full-time non-bargaining employee in accordance with State law and this section.
(a) Sick Leave Accumulation.
(1) Each full-time non-bargaining employee shall be advanced five (forty hours) days of immediate sick leave credit which will be charged against the first four months of his/her/their accumulation of sick leave. Sick leave shall be accumulated at the 4.6 hours for every eighty hours worked.
(2) The accumulation of sick leave is unlimited.
(3) Any full-time non-bargaining employee who has been employed with another public agency or political subdivision shall be credited with the unused balance of his/her/their accumulated sick leave from such public agency or subdivision with written documentation.
(4) The previously accumulated sick leave of a full-time non-bargaining employee who has been separated from public service shall be placed to his/her/their credit upon his/her/their reemployment, provided that his/her/their employment takes place within ten years of the date on which the employee was last terminated from public service, unless the employee has elected to receive termination pay for such sick leave.
(b) Granting of Sick Leave.
(1) Each non-bargaining employee shall furnish a written and signed statement on forms prescribed by department head and/or HR Department to justify the use of sick leave. Such form will be made available by the department head and shall be submitted to the department head when completed by the employee.
(2) Sick leave may be used due to personal illness, pregnancy, injury, and exposure to contagious disease which could be communicated to others, and for absence due to illness, injury or death in the employee’s immediate family. As used in this paragraph, “immediate family” means the father, mother, brother, sister, husband, wife, child, grandparent of the employee and/or his/her/their spouse, grandchild, step parent, step child, step brother, and step sister. It does not provide extended leave for chronic illness within the immediate family; those cases fall under FMLA provisions.
(3) If medical attention is required, or if the absence exceeds five consecutive days, a certificate stating the nature of the illness from a licensed physician may be required to justify the use of sick leave. The appointing authority or his/her/their designee in the employee’s department may request such certificate.
(4) In the case of pregnancy and/or childbirth of the employee and/or spouse, the employee may utilize a maximum of five days without a certificate from a licensed obstetrician gynecologist, midwife, obstetric or gynecological nurse practitioner. If the employee, spouse, or child develops medical complications associated with the pregnancy, childbirth, or recovery from said pregnancy, additional days of sick leave may be used upon the filing of a medical excuse signed by a licensed obstetrician, gynecologist, midwife, obstetric or gynecological nurse practitioner that details the nature of the illness, complications or incapacitation associated with said pregnancy and/or birth. Medical information provided by the employee will be consistent with state and federal laws concerning personal medical information.
(c) Payment for Unused Sick Leave Upon Retirement.
(1) A full-time non-bargaining employee, at the time of acceptance for retirement by the Public Employees Retirement System, the Police Pension, or the Fire Pension, if he/she/they has/have ten or more years of full-time service as an employee of the City, and if his/her/their retirement is within ninety days of his/her/their last day of service with the City, may elect to receive termination pay.
(2) Each full-time non-bargaining employee who qualifies shall receive fifty percent of his/her/their accumulated sick leave credit up to a maximum of 120 days. Payment shall be based on the daily rate of pay at the time of retirement and shall not exceed sixty days (480 hours) of accumulated unused sick leave.
(3) Each full-time non-bargaining unit employee in the Municipal Utilities Department who qualifies shall receive 50% of his/her/their accumulated sick leave credit up to a maximum of 960 hours. Payment shall be based on his/her/their daily rate of pay at the time of retirement and shall not exceed 480 hours of accumulated unused sick leave.
(4) Payment under this subsection shall eliminate all sick leave credit.
(5) No employee shall receive more than one such payment.
(6) If termination is because of death, such remaining accumulated sick leave pay shall be paid to the surviving spouse or dependent children in the order named or to the executor or administrator of the estate.
(d) Employer Unused Sick Leave Buy Back.
(1) Any full-time non-bargaining employee may elect each year to have the employer buyback a maximum of 120 hours of sick time for the current year. A written request must be completed by the employee to do so and be submitted to the employer no later than November 30 of the year of the actual conversion. The employee shall specify in writing the number of sick days (or hours) to be converted. The rate of conversion will be one day (eight hours) of pay at the employee’s regular rate for each two days (sixteen hours) of sick leave converted. The conversion will result in the employee having his/her/their sick leave account reduced by the number of sick leave days converted. Converted hours will not count as “hours worked” in the week paid out for the purpose of calculating overtime, and the leave converted under this program is done on the last in, first out basis.
(2) The employee will receive the payout no later than the first pay period of the next year. No employee shall be permitted to convert any more leave than he/she/they would otherwise earn in a calendar year less any leave earned and used in the calendar year.
(Ord. 22-108. Passed 7-11-22.)