(a) Sick leave credit generally. Each full-time employee and individuals in part-time positions who are currently receiving sick time and hired prior to February 1, 2012, shall accrue, for each 80 hours of service, a sick leave credit in the amount of four and six-tenths hours with pay. The use of such credit shall be permitted for any of the following: personal illness; pregnancy; injury; exposure to contagious disease and/or illness or injury in the employee’s immediate family.
(b) Immediate family defined. For the purpose of this section, IMMEDIATE FAMILY shall be defined as follows: an employee’s children or the employee’s spouse, step-children, parents or children of employees designated as legal guardians. Proof of such relationship may be required by the city.
(c) Accumulation and use of sick leave credit. Sick leave credit shall be cumulative, limited as noted herein. When sick leave is used, it shall be deducted from the employee’s accrued balance on an hour-for-hour basis for every hour of absence from previously scheduled work, except that absence from previously scheduled work because of death in the immediate family, with the approval of the department head, not exceeding three days, shall not be so deducted. The appointing authority and/or the department head for each employing unit may require an employee to furnish satisfactory documentation upon request to justify the use of sick leave by an employee. However, in all instances where medical attention was required or when an absence is for three or more consecutive scheduled work days, the employee may be required to furnish written documentation stating the nature of the illness or injury to justify the use of sick leave. Falsification of any such documentation, or falsely using sick leave, shall be grounds for disciplinary action, including dismissal.
(d) Temporary disability. In the event that an employee is temporarily disabled and uses all of his or her accumulated sick leave, said employee may request that the city continue to provide group hospitalization coverage for the duration of said disability. Such request shall be made in writing to the Mayor for consideration by the Council Finance Committee.
(e) Prior service; sick leave credit. Previously accumulated and unused sick leave credit of an employee who has been separated from public service shall be placed to his or her credit upon re-employment in public service, provided that such re-employment takes place within ten years from the date of separation. Newly hired employees with prior service from other governmental agencies shall be allowed to transfer 40 hours of sick leave to Solon and those hours shall not be subject to payment to the employee in the event of retirement as defined in division (h) below.
(f) Certain employees excluded. All part-time employees not included in division (a) above, temporary, and seasonal employees, or those rendering intermittent or per diem service, shall be excluded from the benefits of this section.
(g) Compensation for unused, accumulated sick leave. Upon the retirement or death of an eligible employee, the employee, or his or her spouse and/or legal representative shall, upon written notification to the city, be entitled to a lump sum payment for the accumulated and unused sick leave credit subject to the limits as detailed in this chapter. For the purposes of this section, an employee shall be deemed to be retired when he or she applies for and obtains a retirement pension under pension plans afforded employees as a result of their public employment. When giving the city written notification, the employee shall request payment either immediately after retirement or at a later date within one year after retirement. In either case, only one payment will be made. If the employee elects payment at a later date, it will be at the hourly rate at retirement and no interest earnings will be accrued or added to the payment.
(h) Limits on payment of unused; accumulated sick leave credit. In the event of the retirement or death of an employee, payment of accumulated and unused sick leave credit shall be determined as follows.
(1) Employees hired prior to January 1, 1989, shall be paid for the first 960 hours of accumulated and unused sick leave credit on an hour-for-hour basis. All sick leave credit in excess of 960 hours shall be paid on the basis of one hour for every three hours accumulated and unused.
(2) Employees hired on or after January 1, 1989, shall be paid for the first 500 hours of accumulated and unused sick leave credit on an hour-for-hour basis. All sick leave credit in excess of 500 hours shall be paid on the basis of one hour for every four hours accumulated and unused.
(i) Sick leave credit; cash conversion option. On or before December 15, and each year thereafter, a full-time employee of the city credited with sick leave credit up to a maximum of 120 hours per calendar year may elect to convert such credit into a cash benefit, or carry forward such credit to his or her balance. The conditions for the cash conversion shall be as follows.
(1) An employee must have at least 360 hours of sick leave credit at the end of each calendar year, exclusive of the 120 hours of sick leave credit earned for the current year in which the election is made.
(2) An employee may convert all sick leave credit earned and unused during a calendar year of election to a cash benefit at the rate of three-eighths, payable at the employee’s current hourly rate in the year earned, excluding longevity, differentials, bonuses, premium payments, regularly scheduled overtime and all other forms of additional or supplemental compensation. Absent such an election by an employee, the sick leave credit earned and unused in a calendar year will be added to the total accrued sick leave credit balance of the employee.
(j) Voluntary sick leave donations. In the event an employee has exhausted his or her accumulated sick leave due to an extended use as described in division (a) hereof, the Mayor may approve the transfer of sick leave to this employee from other employees who wish to voluntarily donate a portion of his or her unused accumulated sick leave. A list with the donor’s name, the number of hours donated and the donor’s signature shall be presented to the Mayor for his or her approval and forwarded to the Finance Department. Employees may donate no less than eight hours and up to a maximum of 40 hours per employee per a 12-month period. The donated sick leave shall be proportionately applied and any unused sick leave shall be returned proportionately to the donating employees once the employee that received the donations has returned to work.
(Ord. 1998-25, passed 5-18-1998; Ord. 2007-142, passed 5-21-2007; Ord. 2009-108, passed 6-1-2009; Ord. 2012-46, passed 2-21-2012; Ord. 2012-61, passed 3-5-2012; Ord. 2018-252, passed 12-17-2018)