(a) A female employee who has completed probation will be eligible for maternity leave for that period of time that she is physically incapable of performing her regular work related duties. The employee will be required to document her physical condition in a Statement of Attending Physician forwarded to the City.
(b) Application for such leave will be made on the approved form.
(c) The employee shall be entitled to use as much of her accumulated sick time as she desires, in lieu of a leave of absence without pay, during this period of time.
(e) A male employee shall at the option of the employee be entitled to sick pay for the maternity of his spouse. The male employee shall be entitled to take up to fifteen (15) days from accrued sick days for the purpose of staying home to assist his family at the time of his wife's delivery or in accordance with the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 ("FMLA").
(f) It is the express intent that this Section shall not be applied or interpreted in such a manner as to cause or constitute a violation of any law, specifically including PL 103-3 known as the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. Employees will be permitted to utilize the FMLA provisions of this Agreement upon request. This section will be uniformly applied.