Upon the approval of the City and the Union, a leave of absence without pay may be granted for up to thirty (30) calendar days in any calendar year.
Request for such leave of absence shall be in writing, in triplicate, and shall be signed by the employee stating the reasons for said leave. One (1) copy shall be retained by the employee, one (1) copy by the Department of Human Resources, and one (1) copy by the Union.
Employees on such leave will not suffer loss of position during said absence. When an employee returns from such an approved leave of absence, that employee shall return to the position in the service from which the leave was granted.
Furthermore, employees on such approved leave of absence for thirty (30) calendar days or less shall have their hospitalization-surgical-drug-life insurance benefits continued in force by the City during this period of time.