Employee Handbook

Section 6 — Time Away from Work

Sick Leave Usage and Guidelines

1. Eligible employees can use sick leave under the following circumstances:

1. If the employee is physically incapacitated or mentally incapable of performing the job.
2. For an illness, including medical or dental appointments, occurring during work hours.
3. For an illness of an immediate family member. Immediate family member includes spouse, child, parent, step-child, father or mother-in-law, brother, sister, daughter or son-in-law, grandchild or grandparent.
4. In response to community health regulations that require that an employee be under quarantine.
5. To attend funerals of family members or friends.

 Sick leave is subject to the following guidelines:

1. If possible, employees should request sick leave before they are regularly scheduled to report for duty.
2. Department directors may require a doctor’s excuse that must state the kind of sickness or injury sustained and the duration of the incapacitation.
3. Employees returning to work after an extended period of time due to an illness or injury may be required to submit a statement from their medical practitioner that validates their ability to resume normal work duties.
4. Employees can only use sick leave on regularly scheduled work days or work periods.
5. Sick leave must be accrued before it can be used.
6. Employees who are sick during City-recognized holidays should not report the time as sick leave.
7. Employees can use up to three consecutive sick leave days to attend a funeral. See also Section 6.8 Funeral and Bereavement Leave.
8. For all exempt employees: sick time should be taken in eight-hour increments, versus hourly increments, to ensure Exempt status is not compromised with the exception of approved intermittent Family Medical Leave. See also Section 6.10 Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Sick Leave Accrual

1. For all regular full-time employees working a standard 40-hour work week, sick leave is accrued at the rate of 3.69 hours per pay period. Total yearly accumulation is 96 hours per year. Total accumulation cannot exceed 1,056 hours.  

Employees cannot receive payment for unused sick leave credit when they leave the City’s employment, except as follows:

• At Retirement, employees are eligible for a payout of 50% of their unused sick leave, counted in full day increments, up to a maximum accumulation of nine-hundred and sixty (960) hours or a maximum payout of four-hundred and eighty (480) hours. The time will be paid out at the employee’s rate of pay on the date of Retirement. This will be paid out in a lump sum on the last pay check or as follows for the groups named below.
• Full-time employees who are members of the IUOE will have 100% of their sick time payout placed into an employer sponsored Retirement Health Plan account.
• Senior management staff will have 75% of their sick time payout placed into an employer sponsored retirement health plan account.

In the event of an employee’s death, the employee’s beneficiary will receive 50% of the employee’s unused sick leave, counted in full day increments, up to a maximum accumulation of nine-hundred and sixty (960) hours or a maximum payout of four-hundred and eighty (480) hours. The time will be paid out at the employee’s rate of pay on the date of death. 

2. Full-time, non-union fire department employees assigned to 24-hour shift-based schedules shall accrue sick leave at 7.38 hours per pay period, up to a maximum accrual of 1,680 hours.  

Employees cannot receive payment for unused sick leave credit when they leave the City’s employment, except as follows:

• At Retirement, employees are eligible for a payout of 50% of their unused sick leave, counted in full day increments, up to a maximum accumulation of one thousand three hundred and twenty (1,320) hours or a maximum payout of six-hundred and sixty (660) hours. The time will be paid out at the employee’s rate of pay on the date of Retirement. This will be paid out in a lump sum on the last paycheck or as follows for the groups named below.
• In the event of an employee’s death, the employee’s beneficiary will receive 50 percent of the employee’s unused sick leave, counted in full day increments, up to a maximum accumulation of one thousand three hundred and twenty (1,320) hours or a maximum payout of six-hundred and sixty (660) hours. The time will be paid out at the employee’s rate of pay on the date of death.
• Full-time Non-bargaining Fire Command Staff employees will have 100% of their sick time payout placed into an employer sponsored Retirement Health Plan account.

3. Full-time EMS employees assigned to the Pitman schedule shall accrue sick leave at 5.54 hours per pay period with a maximum accrual of 1,092 hours.  

Employees cannot receive payment for unused sick leave credit when they leave the City’s employment, except as follows:

• At Retirement, employees are eligible for a payout of 50% of their unused sick leave, counted in full day increments, up to a maximum accumulation of one-thousand and eight (1,008) hours or a maximum payout of five-hundred and four (504) hours. The time will be paid out at the employee’s rate of pay on the date of Retirement. This will be paid out in a lump sum on the last pay check or as follows for the groups named below.
• Full-time and three-quarter part-time employees who are members of the IAPFF-EMS bargaining unit will have 100% of their sick time payout placed into an employer sponsored Retirement Health Plan account.

In the event of an employee’s death, the employee’s beneficiary will receive 50 percent of the employees’ unused sick leave, counted in full day increments, up to a maximum accumulation of one-thousand and eight (1,008) hours or a maximum payout of five-hundred and four (504) hours. The time will be paid out at the employee’s rate of pay on the date of death. 

4. Regular part-time employees designated as half-time and three-quarter time employees shall accrue sick leave as follows:

Half-time: 1.85 hours per pay period with a maximum yearly accrual of 48 hours and a maximum accrual of 528 hours

Three-quarter time: 2.77 hours per pay period with a maximum yearly accrual of 72 hours and a maximum accrual of 792 hours.  

Employees cannot receive payment for unused sick leave credit when they leave the City’s employment, except as follows:

• At Retirement, employees are eligible for a payout of 50% of their unused sick leave, counted in full day increments, up to a maximum accumulation of four-hundred and eighty (480) hours or a maximum payout of two-hundred and forty (240) hours for half-time employees; and up to a maximum accumulation of seven-hundred and twenty (720) hours or a maximum payout of three-hundred and sixty (360) for three-quarter part-time employees. The time will be paid out at the employee’s rate of pay on the date of Retirement. This will be paid out in a lump sum on the last pay check or as follows for the groups named below.
• In the event of an employee’s death, the employee’s beneficiary will receive 50 percent of the employee’s unused sick leave, counted in full day increments, up to a maximum accumulation of four-hundred and eighty (480) hours or a maximum payout of two-hundred and forty (240) hours for half-time employees; and up to a maximum accumulation of seven-hundred and twenty (720) hours or a maximum payout of three-hundred and sixty (360) for three-quarter part-time employees. The time will be paid out at the employee’s rate of pay on the date of death.
• Three-quarter part-time employees who are members of the IAPFF-EMS bargaining unit will have 100% of their sick time payout placed into an employer sponsored Retirement Health Plan account.

Employees continue to accrue sick leave while on any other compensated leave.

Employees of the Association of Firefighters Local 3586 or the Teamsters Police Local 238, should refer to their current contracts for sick pay information.