(a) (1) All employees serving in full-time permanent positions shall be entitled to sick leave with pay based upon the rate provided in the "Compensation Plan" adopted by City Council and/or any appropriate collective bargaining agreement.
(2) An employee shall not earn the full sick leave accrual in a given pay period unless he is in full pay status for the entire pay period (i.e. on duty or on approved leave with pay). In the event an employee is not in full pay status for the entire pay period, he shall accrue sick leave at the rate provided in the "Compensation Plan" for each one hour in full pay status during the pay period.
(b) Sick leave shall be allowed for the following reasons:
(1) Actual illness or disability of the employee;
(2) Actual illness or disability of one or more of the employee's following family members, requiring the employee's personal care and attendance: mother, father, spouse, son, daughter, stepson, stepdaughter, legal guardian or someone who stands in place of a parent.
(3) Appointments with physicians or dentists; however, every attempt should be made to schedule such visits on normal time off.
(4) Confinement to home because of quarantine;
(c) Sick leave may also be requested for other members of an employee's household and may be approved at the discretion of the City Manager, or his designee, on a case-by-case basis, based upon the merits of each particular case.
(d) In order to qualify for sick leave payments, the employee must notify his supervisor not later than one-half hour before his normal starting time on the first day of absence, unless the circumstances surrounding the absence make such reporting impossible, in which case such report must be made as soon as possible. Sick leave for doctor or dentist appointments must be requested 48 hours in advance, except in emergency situations.
(e) New employees may be granted, at the date of their employment, an "advance" of three days of sick leave. However, no additional sick leave will be allowed to accumulate until the end of the third month of employment.
(f) Absence from work due to a non-duty incurred illness or injury will be compensated for by use of sick leave provided the illness or injury was not attributed to the intemperate use of alcoholic beverages or other controlled substances not used in accordance with a duly authorized prescription from the employee's physician.
(g) In the case of pregnancy, it shall be the policy of the City to allow the pregnant employee to continue working so long as she is physically capable to do so with the approval of her physician and supervisor. "Physically capable" means the ability to satisfactorily perform the normal job duties of the position to which the employee is assigned, as determined by the employer. If deemed necessary by the supervisor, the employee must provide certification from a doctor of their choice that continued employment will not be detrimental to the employee's health.
(h) In the event an employee requests sick leave for a period of longer than two consecutive days, or for the day immediately preceding or following a holiday, he may be required by his supervisor to submit a doctor's certificate verifying the illness and justifying the necessity of the absence. If the supervisor determines that an employee's use of sick leave is not justified, the supervisor shall have the authority to charge the absent time to the employee's vacation or sick leave balance or to record the absent time as leave without pay.
(i) The City Manager, assisted by all supervisory personnel, shall be responsible for preventing abuses of sick leave. Sick leave shall not be considered leave time which an employee may use at his discretion for personal business. The employer may require medical proof of the necessity of sick 1eave, in which event the involved employee shall be required to produce a statement from a medical doctor certifying to the necessity of such absence. If an employee is found to have abused this sick leave policy provision, he shall be subject to disciplinary action, including possible suspension or dismissal.
(j) Vacation leave, personal leave or compensatory time may be used to supplement sick leave when the latter is exhausted. All sick leave shall be requested according to the procedures outlined in the administrative orders of the City Manager.
(Ord. 20-04. Passed 2-23-04.)