2129.67 The Police and Firemen's Disability and Pension Fund

   (A)    The City will continue to participate in the Police and Firemen's Disability and Pension Fund as provided in the Ohio Revised Code.

   (B)    The City will implement a pension "pick-up" plan in accordance with Internal Revenue Service regulations and Ohio Attorney General opinions, whereby State and Federal Income Taxes on employee pension contributions by all bargaining members may be deferred.

   (C)    Effective with the second full pay period of April 2012 the City will pay zero percent (0%) of the employee's pension contribution, and the employee shall be responsible for the remaining percentage (employee payment increased from 0% to 10%).

   (D)   By April 30, 2012 the employees whose pension pick-up has been reduced pursuant to sub-section (C) of this article will receive a separate lump sum check in the amount of one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500).

   (E)   During the month of March, 2013, and in consideration for the employees whose pension pickup was eliminated in April of 2012, each employee whose pension pickup was eliminated will receive a separate lump sum check in the amount of one thousand dollars ($1,000).

   (F)   During the month of March, 2014, and in consideration for the employees whose pension pickup was eliminated in April of 2012, each employee whose pension pickup was eliminated will receive a separate lump sum check in the amount of one thousand dollars ($1,000).

   (G)   In the event the employee share of the pension contribution increases due to a change in law or regulation during the term of this agreement, the employee shall be responsible for paying the entire increase in the employee share.

   (H)   Employees are prohibited from receiving the pension pickup payments specified in sub-section (C) of this article directly instead of having them paid by the City to the pension plan.

   (I)   Police officers hired after January 1, 2009 will be required to pay the entire employee contribution to the Police and Firemen's Disability and Pension Fund and shall not be eligible for the lump sum payments prescribed in this section.

   (J)   Effective the second full pay period of April 2012, and pursuant to sub-section (C), the parties agree and understand that the City's pension pick-up plan referred to in this article will terminate, and the City will no longer implement or participate in any pension pick-up plan.

2129.68 Safety Equipment

   The City will provide an employee purchase plan whereby employees will be able to purchase safety shoes, safety glasses, including prescriptive lenses. The purchase program for the safety shoes and the safety glasses shall make these items available to the employee with sixty (60%) percent of the cost of the item to be paid by the City and the remaining forty (40%) percent to be paid by the employee or the purchase of one pair of safety shoes from vendor of choice per year which complies with uniform specifications will be subject to reimbursement of fifty dollars ($50.00) following submission of paid receipt.

   The Safety Committee of the Association and the City shall mutually agree to a specification for a bullet proof vest which will then be competitively bid.

   In reference to the above safety equipment, the City will acknowledge the Association's recommendations as to what would be appropriate for their members.

   A payroll deduction system will be established under this program through the means of an automatic deduction from the employee's paycheck.

   The following stipends shall be provided to all officers in January, 2012 and in January 2013 and in January 2014:

   (A)    $150.00 - Police safety equipment not provided by the Department, but conforming to Department specifications and regulations in the event the Officer purchases same.

   (B)    $75.00 - Advanced Law Enforcement Training and educational material.

   (C)    $175.00 - Maintenance of the physical fitness necessary to effective police work. The physical fitness stipend shall increase to $275.00 effective with the January, 2004, payment.

   Said stipends shall be payable in the gross amount of five hundred dollars ($500.00) in 2012, 2013 and 2014. For 2012, payment should be issued not later than January 31, 2012 and in 2013 payment shall be issued no later than January 31, 2013, and in 2014 payment shall be issued no later than January 31, 2014, to those officers then on the payroll.

2129.69 Vacations

   (A) All employees shall be entitled to annual vacation with pay in accordance with the following table:

AMOUNT OF CONTINUOUS SERVICE DURING PREVIOUS YEAR
THROUGH DECEMBER 31	VACATION
Less than 1 full calendar year	.916 days for each full month of service
After 1 full calendar yr. of service	2 wks
After 7 full calendar yrs. of service	3 wks
After 14 full calendar yrs. of service	4 wks
After 21 full calendar yrs. of service	5 wks
After 24 full calendar yrs. of service	6 wks

   (B)   In addition to the above, after one (1) full calendar year of service, the employee shall be entitled to one (1) full additional discretionary vacation day.

   (C)   An employee should take vacation in the calendar year following the year in which it was earned. In the event an employee is not allowed to schedule and/or take his vacation in the year in which it should have been taken, he may request that such unused vacation be carried over to the following year. Such request must be submitted to the Department of Human Resources prior to December 1 of each year. All such carry-over vacation must be taken no later than April 30 of the following year. In the event that the City has not allowed the employee to take the vacation time to which he is entitled by April 30 of the year following the calendar year in which it should have been taken, then he should be paid for such unused vacation days.

   (D)   Employees shall be allowed to schedule and take vacations as provided herein in accordance with existing Departmental procedures. Employees shall have the right to select vacation time by seniority. At least ten (10%) percent of the employees assigned to the shift shall be granted vacation in any vacation period. Requests for vacation time will be considered first.

   (E)   In determining eligibility for vacation, only continuous years of service shall be counted. Except where an employee has served nine (9) full calendar years with the City and has terminated and then returns to the City, such employee shall be entitled to count the prior service for determining eligibility for vacation.

2129.70 Paid Holidays

   All Police Officers of the Department of Police shall be entitled to fifteen (15) holidays per year. Each Police Officer shall have the option of having up to fifteen (15) days off, or of having a lesser number of days off and receiving pay for the difference between the number of scheduled days off and the total number of holidays up to a maximum of fourteen (14) days for which he or she may elect to receive pay.

   In the event the Police Officer elects to take days off, they are to be scheduled in a way as not to impair the operation of the Shift or Bureau to which he or she is assigned. If the Police Officer has elected to work up to fourteen (14) of these extra days in lieu of days off, then he or she shall be compensated at his or her regular straight time rate of having worked on those days. He or she shall be paid a bonus of ten (10) hours for each of the extra days scheduled.

   The Police Officer who elects to take the bonus payment in lieu of the extra scheduled days off shall receive up to one hundred forty (140) hours of bonus pay to be distributed to him or her at the time he takes his or her regular vacation or in a separate check to be issued on a quarterly basis. The hours shall be payable at the rate of pay the Police Officer earns at the time these checks are dispersed.