[Amended 5-7-2022 SATM by Art. 16]
Proposed changes in existing fringe benefits, such as vacations,
holidays, premium pay, etc., and/or proposals for any additional fringe
benefits shall be submitted by the Town Administrator to the Select
Board for its recommendations prior to inclusion in proposed departmental
budgets.
A.
Regular employees shall be paid for each of the following holidays:
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New Year's Day
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Martin Luther King Day
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President's Day
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Patriot's Day
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Memorial Day
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Independence Day
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Labor Day
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Columbus Day
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Veteran's Day
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Thanksgiving Day
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Christmas Day
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B.
Employee shall be granted the above holidays provided the employee
worked the regularly scheduled hours the day before and the day after
the holiday. The employer reserves the right to waive the above requirement.
All regular employees who are normally scheduled to work on the day
in which a holiday falls shall be paid for 20% of their weekly authorized
hours. Any above holiday will be observed on the day established by
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. When any of the 11 holidays fall
within a sick leave period, it shall be granted as a holiday and no
charge made to the employee's sick leave credits. When any of the
11 holidays fall within a vacation period it shall be granted as a
holiday and no charge made to the employee's vacation time credit.
If an employee must work on the holiday due to an emergency situation,
as determined by the Town Administrator, then the employee may take
another day off within 30 days of that holiday. Employees required
to work on this day at management's discretion shall receive the holiday
at a future time of their choice prior to the end of the fiscal year.
B.
Longevity payments are to be made annually the first pay period following an employee's anniversary date. (See Article III for benefit on part-time employees who work 20+ hours per week.)
C.
For the purposes of longevity the "anniversary date" for employee
whose status changes from ineligible to eligible for benefits shall
be the date of the change in status, i.e., the date the employee's
authorized hours change from less than 20 per week to more than 20
per week.
A.
All eligible employees shall be entitled to take personal leave each
fiscal year equal to 60% of the weekly authorized hours.
B.
No personal leave with pay shall be granted during the first three
months of employment.
C.
Requests for personal leave shall be submitted 24 hours in advance
and shall be subject to the approval of the employee's Department
Head.
A.
An employee who serves in a temporary capacity that converts to a
permanent position without a break in service may request prior service
credit for the purpose of sick time accrual only.
B.
Sick days:
(1)
Employees who work 20 or more hours will accrue sick leave at
the rate of 25% of the weekly authorized hours for each month of service.
(2)
Sick leave not used in the year in which it accrues, together
with any accumulated sick leave not used in the current year may accrue
to a maximum of 40 times the weekly authorized hours (200 days).
(3)
Absence from duty shall be charged against sick time accrued
for the following reasons:
(a)
When an employee is required to undergo medical, optical or
dental treatment when such treatment cannot be accomplished on off-duty
hours.
(b)
When a serious illness of an employee's parent, spouse or child,
who is a resident of the household, requires the employee's personal
attention.
(c)
Personal illness.
(4)
An employee who is absent on sick leave for five or more scheduled
workdays is required to submit a written statement to Town Administration
from his/her personal physician indicating the duration of illness
and expected date of return.
All employees with 10 years of service at the time of retirement or death will be entitled to compensation for 25% of their unused, accrued sick time. Payment under this provision is computed at the current rate of pay and shall not be included in or considered to be base pay for retirement or pension purposes. Said benefit shall not exceed $3,500 and will be paid to the employee or the designated beneficiary. Employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement should refer to their agreement. (See Article III for benefit on part-time employees who work 20+ hours per week.)
The purpose of the Town of Walpole (the "Town") Employee Sick
Leave Bank (the "Sick Leave Bank" or the "Bank") is to make available
additional sick leave to nonunion, salaried and hourly Town employees
who have suffered an unplanned personnel illness, injury, disability
or quarantine and whose personal sick leave has been exhausted.
A.
Administration. The Sick Leave Bank shall be administered by the
Sick Leave Bank Committee (the "Committee"), which shall consist of
the Town Administrator, or designee, one member selected by the Town's
salaried employees, and one member selected by the Town's hourly employees.
Members of the Committee shall serve for a term of three years, but
may serve more than one term in succession.
[Amended 5-7-2022 SATM by Art. 16]
B.
Employee eligibility and participation.
(1)
Any nonunion, salaried and hourly Town employee may participate
in the Sick Leave Bank if they have an accrual balance of at least
25 days' sick leave as of August 1 of any year. Members enrolled in
the Sick Leave Bank shall be re-enrolled automatically each year (unless
the member withdraws in writing) as long as they have maintained an
accrual balance of at least 25 days. Only employees who elect to participate
in the Bank prior to first suffering an unplanned personnel illness,
injury, disability or quarantine for which he or she submits an application
for Sick Leave Bank benefits, however, shall be eligible to receive
such benefits.
(2)
An employee may elect to participate in the Sick Leave Bank
by agreeing to donate to the Bank, during the thirty-day enrollment
period ending on August 1 of each year, an amount of sick leave hours
equal to 20% of such employee's weekly-authorized sick leave hours.
New Town employees shall be eligible to participate in the Sick Leave
Bank during the open enrollment period after they have an accrual
balance of at least 25 days' sick leave. The Sick Leave Bank Committee
has the ability to waive the twenty-five-day clause. All donations
of sick leave hours to the Bank are non refundable.
(3)
The aggregate number of sick leave hours maintained in the Sick
Leave Bank shall be limited to a maximum of 5,000 hours. If, in any
year, the aggregate number of unused sick leave hours that have been
contributed to the Sick Leave Bank equals or exceeds the permitted
maximum limit as of August 1, then the number of accrued hours in
Bank automatically shall be reduced to 4,500 on such date in order
to accommodate new contributions by Town employees over the subsequent
twelve-month period. Absent unusual circumstances, a minimum of 1,000
sick leave hours shall remain in the Sick Leave Bank at all times.
(4)
No employee shall be eligible to receive benefits from the Sick
Leave Bank until after he/she has exhausted all of his/her accumulated
sick leave, personal leave and vacation leave.
(5)
No employee shall be eligible to receive benefits from the Sick
Leave Bank on account of any elective surgery or an illness, injury,
disability or quarantine of a family member.
(6)
An employee shall become ineligible to receive benefits from
the Sick Leave Bank upon his/her:
(7)
An employee voluntarily may withdraw from participation in the
Sick Leave Bank at any time by providing written notice of withdrawal
to the Committee. An employee who withdraws from the Sick Leave Bank,
or retires, resigns or otherwise terminates his or her employment
with the Town, shall forfeit all days contributed by such employee
to the Bank.
(8)
Criteria that may be considered by the Committee in evaluating
an employee's request for benefits from the Sick Leave Bank shall
include, but not be limited to:
(a)
The seriousness of the employee's illness, injury, disability
or quarantine;
(b)
The anticipated duration of the employee's illness, injury,
disability or quarantine;
(c)
The employee's length of service with the Town;
(d)
The number of hours typically worked each week by the employee
in normal circumstances;
(e)
Other sources of income or benefits that the employee receives,
or is eligible to receive, during the period of his/her illness, injury,
disability or quarantine;
(f)
The propriety of the employee's prior use of sick leave; and
(g)
The aggregate number of hours currently available in the Sick
Leave Bank.
C.
Procedure for seeking benefits.
(1)
An eligible employee who has suffered an unplanned personnel
illness, injury, disability or quarantine may request benefits from
the Sick Leave Bank by completing and submitting an approved Sick
Leave Bank Request Form to the Committee no later than 30 calendar
days prior to the first date for which additional sick leave benefits
are requested. Exceptions to the foregoing thirty-day requirement
may be granted by the Committee in unusual circumstances.
(2)
In the event an employee is physically or mentally unable to
complete and submit a Sick Leave Bank Request Form, a spouse, family
member or guardian may complete and submit a Request Form on the employee's
behalf.
(3)
Each employee requesting benefits from the Sick Leave Bank shall
be required to certify in writing his or her intention to return to
work for the Town promptly following the cessation of the unplanned
personnel illness, injury, disability or quarantine. Failure to do
so for reasons other than the death or permanent disability of the
employee shall constitute grounds for the Committee, at its sole discretion,
to direct the employee to refund to the Town the reasonable monetary
value of some or all of the benefits received by the employee from
the Sick Leave Bank.
(4)
All requests for benefits from the Sick Leave Bank shall be
accompanied by a written statement confirming the existence and cause
of illness, injury, disability or quarantine signed by a qualified
physician. An employee seeking benefits from the Sick Leave Bank may
be required by the Committee, at its sole discretion, to undergo an
independent medical examination by a physician selected by the Committee.
(5)
All requests for benefits from the Sick Leave Bank shall state
the specific number of additional sick leave days requested. No single
request for benefits in excess of nine weeks of the employee's weekly
authorized hours shall be submitted to, or approved by, the Committee.
(6)
An eligible employee may submit more than one request for benefits
from the Sick Leave Bank, although no more than one request may be
pending from a single employee at any point in time. The maximum number
of additional sick leave that an employee may receive from the Sick
Leave Bank on account of any one episode of illness, injury, disability
or quarantine is 26 weeks of his/her weekly-authorized hours.
(7)
The Committee shall act on all completed Sick Leave Bank Request
Forms within 14 days of submission to the Committee. Notification
of the Committee's decision thereafter shall be provided promptly
to the requesting party.
(8)
The decision to deny or grant, in whole or in part, an employee's
request for benefits from the Sick Leave Bank shall be left to the
sole discretion of the Committee, as determined by a majority vote
of the Committee members. The decision of the Committee in each instance
shall be final.
(9)
Questions regarding the interpretation or application of this
bylaw shall be resolved by the Committee, with the input and guidance
of the Town Administrator.
[Amended 5-7-2022 SATM by Art. 16]
A.
Vacations will be credited on the employee's service anniversary
date.
(1)
On the first anniversary date, two times weekly authorized hours.
(2)
On the fifth anniversary date, three times weekly authorized
hours;
(3)
On the 10th anniversary date, four times weekly authorized hours.
(4)
On the 20th anniversary date, five times weekly authorized hours.
(5)
The service anniversary date, for employees whose status changes
from ineligible to eligible for benefits shall be the date of the
change in status, i.e., the date the employee's authorized hours change
from less than 20 per week to more than 20 per week.
B.
Vacations should be used within 12 months of the date they are credited;
however, subject to the Department Head's approval, two times weekly
authorized hours may be carried over into the new year.
C.
Any employee whose employment is terminated by dismissal with just
cause, or by resignation, or in case of death, designated beneficiary
shall be paid in lieu of such vacations an amount equal to one hour's
pay at the employee's regular rate for each hour of unused vacation.
D.
Newly hired employees who have attained a minimum of two years' relevant
experience may be granted credit for this service. Up to a maximum
of five years toward the amount of vacation leave granted the employee
at their time of hire. In no case shall any newly hired employee be
initially granted more than three times weekly authorized hours of
vacation. And in all cases this bridging must receive prior approval
of the Town Administrator. Any increases in vacation leave time granted
above the amount of time initially credited shall be granted according
to the schedule listed in the first subsection of this section. No
employee shall receive more than five times weekly authorized hours
of accrued vacation time.
[Amended 5-7-2022 SATM by Art. 16]
E.
Newly hired employees may use one times weekly authorized hours of
vacation time after six months of service. Any time used will be deducted
from the vacation hours credited on the employee's first anniversary.
F.
Employees may request from the Town Administrator to take up to one
week of weekly authorized hours of their vacation allotment within
90 days of date credited. Said "negative" vacation time to be deducted
from the employee's allotment on date credited. If an employee resigns,
retires or terminates employment prior to date credited, the employee
must pay back the Town for negative vacation time.
[Amended 5-7-2022 SATM by Art. 16]
An employee who had attained a minimum of one year of full-time
service during a former work period is entitled to credit for their
prior service when one year of new full-time service is completed.
At the one-year anniversary of the new hire date, a "bridged" service
date is assigned which recognizes the addition of the prior service
to the present service. This bridged service date then serves as the
basis for benefit accruals. Until this bridged service date is put
into effect, the employee is considered to have no prior service in
areas governed by ERISA law, such law takes precedence.
The Town will treat the nonunion sworn personnel in parity to
the union contract for purposes of MGL c. 41, § 108L.
Any full-time employee of the Town may participate in this program
if the course(s) taken is job related and is approved by the Department
Head and the Town Administrator, subject to sufficient funding. An
employee should receive approval prior to registering for the course
and after satisfactory completion, Grade C or better, will receive
reimbursement from the Town upon receipt of course credit and submission
of expense voucher for tuition, laboratory costs, and books. The maximum
allowable education aid for each school year shall be $600 per employee.
There is no reimbursement for the time spent during the course, mileage,
or any other expenses.
An employee called for jury duty shall be paid by the Town an
amount equal to the difference between the compensation paid for a
normal working period and the amount paid by the Court excluding allowance
for travel.
A.
The decision to close Town Hall offices due to emergency situations
(storm, power failure, snow, etc.) is to be made by the Office of
Town Administration. This decision will govern all offices within
the Town Hall. Should a shutdown of Town Hall Offices be required
the following pay policy will apply:
(1)
When Town Hall Offices are shut down for the entire day before
the start of the normal workday, nonunion, nonsalaried employees scheduled
to work on the specific day will receive pay for the regularly scheduled
hours of work between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
(2)
When Town Hall Offices has a delay opening at the start of the
normal workday, nonunion, nonsalaried employees scheduled to work
on the specific day will receive pay for the regularly scheduled hours
of work between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. only if they report to work
at the designated opening time. However, if the employee does not
report to work they can apply any unused personal days or vacation
days for the entire scheduled workday.
B.
If the Town Hall Offices are shut down during the workday the following
pay policy will apply:
(1)
Those nonunion, nonsalaried employees at work at the time of
the shutdown will be paid for their entire scheduled day between 8:00
a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
(2)
Those nonunion, nonsalaried employees not at work at the time
of the shutdown will be paid for actual hours worked that day.
(3)
If Town Hall Offices are not closed by the Office of the Town
Administrator, absent nonunion, nonsalaried employees will receive
no pay. Employees may, however, apply any unused personal days or
vacation days.
C.
Town Hall Offices include all functional offices within the Town
Hall Facility.
