Archive: January 2005

Short Term Leaves
By Steve Kaplan, UniServe Field Organizer

The Contract includes a substantial number of short-term leaves. These include: Sick Leave 10.3; Personal Necessity 10.4; Paternity and Adoption 10.5; Personal Business Absence 10.13; Absence on District Business 10.14; Bereavement 10.16; Family and Medical Care 10.20; Family School Partnership 10.21; and Jury Duty 10.22.

When a need arises requiring that you miss one or more days of school, how do you decide which leave to take? First of all, read the Contract to determine leaves you are eligible to take. In many cases you may be eligible for more than one. Which do you take?

Consulting the Contract and asking the following questions, will enable you to make the best choice in selecting a short-term leave.

• What leave(s) am I eligible to take?
  
• Which are paid, which are unpaid?
  -Use paid leaves first.
  
• Am I eligible for a paid leave that is not charged to sick leave?
  -Bereavement, Paternity and Adoption, Jury Duty, 2 hour Personal Business
  
• Among the leaves charged to sick leave, which is the most restricted?
  -Always use a more restricted leave first. For example, use Personal Necessity Leave (only usable in designated circumstances) before
  using full day Personal Business Absence (usable on an almost
  unlimited basis).
  
• What unpaid leaves am I eligible to take?
  
• Do any of these continue my medical benefits?
  - Family Care Leave -Use these before unpaid leaves that end your benefits.

Absences during the three staff development days. The only paid absences on these days are for "illness or injury of the unit member (as documented by a doctor's note) and bereavement leave pursuant to Section 10.16." Unit members absent for other legitimate reasons will be given an opportunity to make up the days to avoid any loss of pay.

The three make-up days for the current year are March 16, May 14 and
June 21. You must attend a make-up date that is on a non-workday based on your work calendar.