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City of Springfield, MA
Hampden County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
[Amended 6-27-1995]
For the purposes of this article, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:
DAY
That duration of time that constitutes the normal, regularly scheduled hours of employment for the day in question.
SERIOUS HEALTH CONDITION
An illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves inpatient care in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility or continuing treatment by a health care provider.
SICK LEAVE
The absence from duty of any employee due to a serious health condition of the employee, employee's spouse, employee's parents, spouse's parents, employee's child, and any other relative actually living in the household at the time of the illness. Absence due to an employee's sickness commencing during the hours of employment will be charged to his sick-leave credit, if any. The period of time actually worked will not be charged to accumulated sick-leave credit, but will be paid for by the City as time actually worked.
Each department head shall grant sick leave to his employees of the City as provided in this article.
During the first six months of employment, no sick leave pay shall be granted; however, during such period, sick leave credit of 1 1/4 sick leave days with pay per each completed month of service shall be credited to the employee's account at the commencement of his seventh month of employment less the days or fractions thereof that he was absent from work for whatever cause during said six months of completed employment. The employee will acquire the sick leave credit but will not be paid for any days that he might have lost during the first six months of employment.
An employee in the service of the City shall be allowed a credit of 1 1/4 sick leave days with pay per each completed month of service. An employee shall be entitled to sick leave payment starting with the seventh month of completed service in accordance with the provisions of § 73-29.
Each employee affected by this article shall be granted a credit of three days sick leave for each completed 12 days of service with the City prior to January 1, 1956.
A. 
Unused sick leave days in any year shall accumulate without limitation to the employee's credit.
B. 
No employee shall be entitled to sick leave with pay in excess of his accumulated credits, nor shall sick leave be granted by a department head in anticipation of sick leave credits to accrue in the future; provided, however, that in cases of extreme personal illness, an employee may apply to the Personnel Policy Board for additional sick leave with pay beyond the total of his accumulated sick leave credits. Based on the employee's length of service and employment record, the personnel policy board may authorize such additional sick leave payments.
A. 
In order to be eligible to receive sick leave payments under this article, an employee shall notify or cause notice to be given to his department head forthwith. Failure to give such notice shall be deemed sufficient reason for the denial of sick leave payments.
B. 
For periods of sick leave absence of three or more consecutive work days, an employee shall furnish his department head with evidence in the form of a physician's certificate for the cause of such absence.
(1) 
This physician's certificate must be furnished to the department head on the date of the employee's return to work or not later than the seventh consecutive work day of absence and each seventh calendar day thereafter of protracted illness.
(2) 
If such certificate is not furnished by the employee, sick leave shall not be paid for the period of absence.
[Amended 6-27-1995]
A. 
Sick leave payments and credits shall automatically terminate on the date of the retirement or separation from service of the City of an employee.
B. 
If an employee is suspended for reasons other than fault of his own and subsequently reinstated or re-employed, he shall be credited with accrued sick leave due at the time of such suspension.
C. 
If an employee is transferred from one City department to another City department, any accrued sick leave shall be credited to the employee in his new department.
D. 
If an employee is terminated for reasons other than fault of his own and subsequently reinstated or reemployed, he/she shall be credited with accrued sick leave due at the time of such termination.
A. 
Upon retirement or death, an employee shall be paid for accumulated sick leave in excess of 25 days at the rate of pay such person is earning upon the date of retirement or death.
B. 
Such payment will be made in one sum, which amount will not, under any circumstances, exceed $1,200. In the event of death, the sum that otherwise would have been payable to the employee shall be paid to the person whom such employee has designated as his beneficiary on his municipal life insurance policy or, if none, then to his estate.
C. 
This section shall not apply to the uniformed members of the Fire Department and Police Department other than parking meter supervisors, as well as persons appointed by the School Committee as specifically excluded by MGL c. 40, § 21A.
D. 
The provisions of this section shall not apply to building tradesmen and helpers of the City whose rate of pay is determined with reference to the prevailing rate of pay paid to nonmunicipal employees in similar trades.
[Amended 6-18-2002]
A. 
The purpose of this section is to acknowledge the need of those municipal employees who are not otherwise included in an employee bargaining unit but limited to all full-time personnel whose regular compensation is paid by the City and who are eligible to participate under the provisions of the retirement system and pensions established and set forth in Chapter 32 of the General Laws.
B. 
An employee in the service of the City shall accrue a credit of 1 1/4 sick leave days with pay per each completed month of service; provided, further, that anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, in any calendar month in which an employee accumulates three or more separate absences, due to illness and/or any unauthorized absence whether with or without pay, such employee shall not accrue such credit nor be entitled to said 1 1/4 sick leave days for that month in which the absences occur.
C. 
Separate absences shall consist of any period of successive days or portions thereof, the absence of which shall be considered terminated upon the occasion of the employee's return to work immediately thereafter following the absence.
D. 
Upon retirement or death, an employee, irrespective of the position held, shall be paid at the rate of $30 per day or 15% of the day's salary, whichever is greater, for all sick leave accrued by said employee at the time of the employee's death while in the service of the City, or the retirement from municipal service. Such payment will be made in one lump sum; provided, further, that in the event of death, such sum as would otherwise have been payable to the employee shall be paid to that person whom such employee has designated as his beneficiary on his municipal life insurance policy or, if none, to his estate.
E. 
This section shall not apply to the uniformed members of the Fire Department and Police Department as well as persons appointed by the School Committee as specifically excluded by MGL c. 40, § 21A; provided, further, that this section shall not apply to anyone adjudged to be within the scope of any bargaining unit, or anyone who does not qualify for regular sick leave payments.
A. 
Each department head shall maintain a permanent record for his employees affected by this article, which shall contain all pertinent sick leave data. An employee's record shall be available for inspection by the employee or his elected representative, the City Auditor or his representative and the Personnel Director or his representative.
B. 
Sick leave payments under this article shall be designated on the rolls as sick leave payments in such manner as the City Auditor prescribes. The City Auditor is authorized to make such payments and cause to be maintained permanent records of accumulated sick leave credits based on an hourly computation to facilitate the implementation of the provisions set forth in § 73-28.
C. 
The payment of sick leave shall be reported to the Personnel Department at such times and in such manner as the Personnel Director prescribes.
D. 
Each department head shall furnish his employees affected by this article with a statement every year of the number of sick leave days accumulated and due such employee.
A. 
The provisions of this article shall not apply to laborers, workmen or mechanics when by reason of an accident or injury arising out of their employment they are entitled to receive workmen's compensation in accordance with General Laws Chapter 152.
B. 
The provisions of this article shall not apply to the uniformed members of the Fire Department and the Police Department.
C. 
The provisions of this section shall not apply to building tradesmen of the City whose rate of pay is determined according to the wages being paid to nonmunicipal union building tradesmen employed in private industry in the City.
The Personnel Department shall administer a program of preemployment physical examinations for all applicants before employment begins.
[Added 10-14-2010]
A. 
It is the policy of the City of Springfield to promote and encourage the health and welfare of its municipal employees. Cancer is recognized as a major cause of death of adults in the greater Springfield region. The City realizes the distinct advantages of regular pre-cancer screening. Early detection is essential to the prevention of all forms of cancer, and Springfield is fortunate to be the home to excellent medical facilities dedicated to the prevention and treatment of cancer and other illness. This section will allow each employee to use up to four hours of paid time on an annual basis for the purpose of undergoing pre-cancer screening. Such time will not be charged to sick, personal or other accrued time.
B. 
The types of cancer screening permitted under this section are: lung, colon, breast, prostate, skin, thyroid, lymph nodes, oral cavity, reproductive organs, or any other form of cancer deemed appropriate for screening by the Springfield Department of Health and Human Services.
C. 
The appointing authority may require submission of medical documents to verify the employee's screening.
D. 
The four-hour period for screening cannot be taken in blocks of time, but rather must be taken at one instance.
E. 
This section shall be applicable to all City employees.
F. 
All department heads and appointing authorities shall abide by this section and assist and encourage employees to avail themselves of this benefit.