4.1.1  Compensation Policy for Declared and/or Specified University Close-downs
This section sets forth the compensation policy for certain university close-downs on days other than university holidays.  Such close-downs shall be only as declared by the Board of Trustees and/or the President of the university and shall include declared days of mourning and days set aside to honor a specified person or event.  The policy is applicable to unique, one-time close-downs that are generally of not more than one day's duration.

An employee who is scheduled to work but does not work due to the closing of the university for the reasons indicated will be paid according to the hours he or she was scheduled to work that day.  (In other words, an employee will not suffer a loss in pay due to the closing of the university.)  The hours for which an employee was scheduled to work but did not work due to the closing of the university are not counted as hours worked during the applicable workweek for purposes of overtime compensation for nonexempt employees.  An employee who is in pay status but not scheduled to work because of a scheduled day off or layoff status will not receive compensation.

If required to work to maintain essential or necessary services on the declared day, a staff employee will receive the regular rate of pay for the regularly scheduled workday plus the normal rate of pay for the hours actually worked.  The employee will be considered to have worked or have been scheduled to work on the declared day if the majority of the regularly scheduled shift falls on the declared day.

This policy does not apply to close-downs or reductions in work force related to university vacation periods, energy or resource shortages, or other conditions beyond the university's control.

4.1.2 Court Duty
If an employee is summoned for jury duty or subpoenaed as a court witness during the employee's regularly scheduled working hours, time off will be granted upon presentation to the supervisor of a copy or other evidence of the subpoena prior to such duty.  Also, the employee must submit a copy or other evidence of the subpoena to the Office of Payroll and Employee Benefits.  The employee will be allowed time off with pay for required jury duty or when subpoenaed to testify in a court case except when the employee is a party to such action.

A third-shift employee shall not be required to work his or her scheduled shift immediately prior to the first morning of jury duty.  If a third shift employee is released by the court by 5:00 p.m. and is not scheduled for jury duty the following day, he or she shall be required to work his or her scheduled shift that night.  If released after 5:00 p.m., he or she shall not be required to work his or her scheduled shift that night.

A court appearance of a personal nature must be taken as time off without pay or as paid vacation if scheduled in advance with the supervisor.

4.1.3  Holidays
The following holidays are observed as official holidays: July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the day following Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, and a special holiday declared by the President of the university.  The university-designated holiday may or may not be on the same day as the calendar holiday.

Payment for the above university holidays will be granted on a prorated basis dependent upon the part-time employee's total number of hours worked during the preceding 30 days (or nearest 30 days tracked in the Human Resources Information System) assuming the employee has been employed at least 30 calendar days immediately preceding the holiday.  The employee must be scheduled to work regularly at least 20 hours per week to qualify for holiday pay.  In addition, during the week of the designated holiday, the part-time employee has to be in pay status for 20 hours (including holiday pay).

Thus, in order for part-time employees to receive holiday pay, the following must happen:

1.         employed at least 30 days 

2.         regularly scheduled to work at least 20 hours per week

3.         in pay status for 20 hours (including holiday pay) during the week of the designated holiday(s).

Requirement:  If the employee doesn't work enough hours in combination with the prorated amount for holiday pay to reach the 20 hours, available sick leave and/or vacation may be used to remain in pay status.  In order to earn vacation and sick leave, a part-time employee must be employed for at least two years.

Any corrections regarding holiday pay will be made on the employee's next regular paycheck.

If an employee terminates employment, no pay will be received for holidays occurring after the last day worked even though the holidays fall within the period of the employee's projected terminal vacation leave if any.

Regular, part-time employees who are normally scheduled to work between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM on the day(s) the university closes early prior to certain holidays will not suffer a loss of earnings due to the early closing.

Because of the unusual schedule followed by Residence Halls Dining Service (RHDS), this procedure does NOT apply to RHDS regular, part-time staff personnel.

Part-time staff personnel employees working in Residence Halls Dining Service or University Banquet and Catering or University Food Court should check with their supervisors regarding holiday pay practices in those three areas.

4.1.4  Paid Sick Leave
The university sick leave policy is intended to encourage the accumulation of sick leave to cover extended illness.  It is recognized that employees may become ill or injured through no negligence of their own, and, therefore, are unable to perform their assigned duties.  Accumulated sick leave should not be considered as earned time off with pay and may not be granted for any reason other than for an absence due to illness or injury of the employee, the employee's own dental or medical appointments, or for the care of a family member during an illness or injury of that family member.  The total paid sick leave hours used for medical or dental appointments or for the care of a family member shall not exceed 20 hours in any fiscal year.  Paid sick leave applies only if the employee is actively employed at the time of illness or injury.  Abuse of sick leave may be deemed justification for discharge of the employee.

The first pay period following the completion of two years of continuous employment from the employee's effective date of hire, a part-time employee will begin accruing sick leave at the rate of .0230769 of an hour for each hour in pay status, excluding overtime hours.  Sick leave must be taken in 1-hour increments.  Current sick leave available is printed on the paycheck stub.  Only sick leave earned and reported on the paycheck stub may be used.  Sick leave may accumulate to a maximum of 720 hours.  A maximum of 720 hours of sick leave may be used during a fiscal year.

If absent from work because of illness or injury, an employee must notify his or her supervisor according to departmental regulations for reporting absences.  Failure to notify his or her supervisor within the departmental prescribed time may result in disapproval of sick leave benefits and/or disciplinary action up to and including discharge.  If there is no specific departmental regulation, the employee is required to notify his or her supervisor no later than 30 minutes after the beginning of the work shift.

The university may require evidence from a health care provider before granting sick leave benefits to any employee.  At its sole discretion, the university reserves the right to assign the unused sick leave balance or any portion thereof toward time taken off which would otherwise qualify for sick leave.  Whenever an employee is on sick leave, the employee may be required to submit to the university periodic statements from the employee's healthcare provider.  Failure to provide requested evidence may result in disapproval of sick leave benefits and/or disciplinary action up to and including discharge. 

Paid sick leave may be used for maternity related conditions when a part-time employee is medically unable to work, and such time off is treated the same as any other sick leave.   

4.1.5  Vacation
The first pay period following the completion of 2 years of continuous employment from the employee's effective date of hire, a part-time employee will begin earning vacation at the rate of .0461538 of an hour for each hour in pay status, excluding overtime hours.  Vacation must be taken in 1-hour increments.  Current vacation available is printed on the paycheck stub.  Only vacation earned and reported on the paycheck stub may be used. 

Vacations are to be scheduled in advance and at a time agreeable to the supervisor and in accordance with the needs of the department.  At its sole discretion, the university reserves the right to assign an employee's available vacation balance toward time off.

Holidays recognized by the university are not counted as part of vacation.  Extra pay in lieu of vacation is not allowable.  Vacation is accrued through the last day worked by the employee, regardless of the effective date of resignation.