(a) Employees may request sick leave for absences resulting from illness as described below, provided they follow the proper procedures outlined in the policy manual:
(1) Illness or injury of the employee or a member of his or her immediate family.
(2) Exposure of employee or a member of his or her immediate family to a contagious disease which would have the potential of jeopardizing the health of the employee or the health of others.
(3) Death of a member of the employee’s immediate family.
(4) Medical, dental or optical examinations or treatment of employee or a member of his or her immediate family.
(5) Pregnancy, childbirth and/or related medical conditions.
(b) For the purposes of this section, “immediate family” is defined as spouse, child, mother, father, foster parent or guardian, brother, sister, grandparent, grandchild, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepsister, stepbrother, stepson, stepdaughter, half-brother, half-sister, or any dependent person living in the same household on a continuous basis.
(c) The Village of East Palestine maintains the right to investigate all employee’s absence.
(d) For all full-time employee for each completed eighty hours in active pay status, an employee earns four and sixth-tenths (4.6) hours of sick leave or 15 days per year. For all permanent part-time employees working 32 hrs or more earns 3.68 hours per every two weeks.
(e) For the purposes of this policy, “active pay status” includes hours actually worked, hours on paid holidays and hours on paid sick and vacation leave. Additional sick leave is not earned through the working of overtime.
(f) The amount of sick leave time any one employee may accrue is governed by the policy described in § 246.09 of this chapter.
(g) Except for employees who are exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act, sick leave shall be charged in minimum amounts of one hour.
(h) Employees absent on sick leave shall be paid at the same basic hourly, daily or biweekly rate as when they are working.
(i) An employee who must take sick leave shall inform his or her supervisor of the fact and the reason for taking sick leave as soon as possible but no later than one-half hour prior to his or her scheduled starting time. Failure to do so may result in denial of sick leave for the period of absence. Upon return from sick leave the employee may be required to submit a satisfactory written, signed statement to justify the use of sick leave.
(j) Employees taking sick leave for more than three consecutive work days may, upon their return to work, may be required to submit to their supervisor a written statement from and signed by, a licensed physician who satisfactorily justifies the use of sick leave. The statement must include the physician’s diagnosis and remedy.
(k) Vacation leave may be used for sick leave purposes, at the employee's request and the approval of the Appointing Authority, after sick leave is exhausted.
(l) Employees who have exhausted all sick leave credits may, at the discretion of the Village Manager, be granted a personal leave of absence without pay for a period not to exceed six months. Illnesses exceeding six months will be considered for a Disability Separation as outlined in the employee manual.
(m) An employee fraudulently using sick leave, or one found falsifying sick leave records, including altering a physician's certificate or falsification of a written, signed statement shall be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with policies outlined in the employee manual.
(n) Employees who transfer between Village of East Palestine departments or agencies, or who are reemployed, will be credited with the unused balance of accumulated sick leave, provided the time between separation, reappointment or transfer does not exceed one year.
(Ord. 30-93. Passed 1-10-94; Ord. 28-2015. Passed 12-28-15.)