[1]
State law reference: As to vacations and leaves of absence, see N.J.S.A. 11:24A-1 et seq.
[R.O. 1957, 5:10-1, as amended Feb. 2, 1970 and Sept. 21, 1970; amended by MC 1973-4, § 2, Jan. 15, 1973; MC 1978-9, § 5, April 17, 1978; MC 1978-14, § 1, July 3, 1978]
(a) 
Full-time classified and unclassified employees shall earn vacation on the basis of the following schedule:
(1) 
1-5 years of service, 13 working days vacation during each year of service.
(2) 
6-10 years of service, 16 working days vacation during each year of service.
(3) 
11-15 years of service, 19 working days vacation during each year of service.
(4) 
16-20 years of service, 22 working days vacation during each year of service.
(5) 
21 years of service and over, 26 working days vacation during each year of service.
(6) 
Notwithstanding any of the provisions of subsections (1) through (5) hereinabove to the contrary, credit may be given for prior years of service accumulated by former Parking Authority Employees in computing said employee's vacation benefits hereunder. This benefit is created solely and exclusively as a result of the termination of the Parking Authority and the assumption of the responsibilities of public parking by the City of Plainfield. Said benefit is a condition of said termination and in no way should be construed as setting a precedent for altering vacation benefits set forth in subsections (1) through (5) hereinabove.
(b) 
For purposes of computing years of service for vacation leave, anyone whose date of employment falls between January 1 through September 30, inclusive, is entitled to count that period as a year of service. Vacation shall be computed on a calendar year basis, that is, January 1 to December 31.
(c) 
Department Directors, division heads and those employees in or above grade 14, except Fire Privates and Patrolmen, shall be entitled to an additional three (3) working days of vacation during each year of service over and above that which their length of service would normally entitle them.
(d) 
New full-time employees shall be entitled to one (1) working day of vacation leave for each month during the first calendar year of service.
[MC 1978-9, April 17, 1978]
(a) 
Uniformed Fire Personnel and Police Personnel average workday calculation for sick and vacation purposes:
(1) 
Fire and Police uniformed personnel work shifts of varying number of hours with longer or shorter periods of time off between shifts. Therefore, the calculation of vacation and sick time to be allowed will be done on the basis of an average workday on an annual basis. The formula for the calculation of the average workday shall be developed and be the responsibility of the City Administrator.
(2) 
The average workday is to be used to convert the schedule of allowable sick time and vacation time to the number of working hours allowable and also to be used in the calculation of sick and vacation allowance upon termination or retirement.
[R.O. 1957, 5:10-2, as amended Feb. 2, 1970 and Sept. 21, 1970; MC 1972-12, May 1, 1972; MC 1978-9, April 17, 1978]
(a) 
Because of the emergency nature of the work of the Fire and Police Divisions and the fact that members cannot be given normal holiday allowance, each member of the Fire and Police Divisions shall be entitled to the following working days vacation leave per year, with pay, over and above the amount of vacation leave with pay allowed in schedule set forth in Section 11:9-1.
(1) 
Uniformed Fire Personnel will have twelve (12) holidays per year. Nine (9) of the holidays shall be taken as vacation days in addition to the schedule in Section 11:9-1 and three (3) of the twelve (12) holidays may be taken as vacation days in the same manner, or as "paid days". Employees shall advise the Fire Chief of their intention to treat the three (3) holidays as vacation days or "paid days" by February 1, so that the City may budget its financial obligations accurately. The payment for paid days will be made in the first regular pay of December.
(2) 
All uniformed Police Personnel below the rank of Captain shall have the following holiday schedule:
a. 
Twelve (12) holidays per year. Seven (7) of the twelve holidays shall be taken as additional vacation days and five (5) of the twelve holidays may be taken as additional vacation days or as "paid days". Employees shall advise the Chief of Police of their intention to treat the five (5) holidays as vacation days or "paid days" by February 1 so that the City may budget its financial obligations accurately. The payment for paid days will be made in the first regular pay day in December.
b. 
The Police Chief, all Captains, all sworn personnel assigned to the Administrative Bureau, all sworn personnel to the Traffic Section, supervisory personnel assigned to the Service Bureau shall receive twelve (12) holidays but shall receive no "paid days".
(b) 
Fire Privates and Patrolmen with less than one (1) year of service are entitled to the additional working days vacation on a prorated basis.
[R.O. 1957, 5:10-3, adopted Dec. 1, 1969]
(a) 
Employees shall not be eligible to take earned vacation leave unless they have been employed for six (6) consecutive months. Permanent part-time employees are eligible for vacation leave on a prorated basis. Temporary part-time and seasonal employees shall not be eligible for vacation leave. A person employed before the fifteenth (15th) of the month shall be considered to have been employed for the entire month.
(b) 
Vacation allowance must be taken during the current calendar year in which it is earned, unless special permission is given by the Appointing Authority to carry it over.
(c) 
Vacation leave shall be scheduled subject to the approval of the department director.
[R.O. 1957, 5:10-3, adopted Dec. 1, 1969]
(a) 
At the time of separation from service, the employee shall be entitled in time or in pay to any full day's vacation accumulated and not previously used within the prior calendar year. If the employee has used anticipated, but unearned, vacation leave he must make compensation for the time used.
(b) 
Employees may not be paid for vacation leave earned and not used, except at the termination of employment or with the approval of the Mayor and only under extraordinary circumstances.
[R.O. 1957, 5:10-4, adopted Dec. 1, 1969]
(a) 
As used herein, sick leave means paid leave that may be granted to each full-time classified and unclassified City employee who through sickness or injury becomes incapacitated to a degree that makes it impossible for him to perform the duties of his position or who is quarantined by a physician because he has been exposed to a contagious disease.
(b) 
Part-time permanent employees are eligible for such leave on a prorated basis. Temporary part-time and seasonal employees are not eligible for sick leave.
[R.O. 1957, 5:10-4, as amended May 4, 1970; MC 1971-9, § 3, Sept. 20, 1971; MC 1973-4, § 3, Jan. 15, 1973; MC 1973-28, § 1, August 6, 1973]
(a) 
In the first calendar year of employment, employees shall be entitled to one (1) day of sick leave for each month of employment.
(b) 
Sick leave can be accumulated without limit during each employee's length of service. Upon regular retirement or work-connected disability retirement, or upon death, employees shall be entitled to pay at the prevailing rate at the time of retirement or death on the basis of one-third (1/3) day per full, day verifiable sick leave accumulated and not previously used. Upon separation from service in good standing other than said retirements or death, employees shall be entitled pay at the prevailing rate at the time of separation on the basis of one-quarter (1/4) day per full day of verifiable sick leave accumulated and not previously used.
(c) 
Employees shall not be permitted to utilize anticipated sick leave until they have completed one (1) year of service. After one (1) year of service, employees may utilize up to the current year's anticipated sick leave, provided prior accumulated sick leave has been first utilized.
[R.O. 1957, 5:10-4, as adopted Dec. 1, 1969]
(a) 
When an employee is absent from work because of illness for more than five (5) consecutive days, his supervisor may require the employee to submit a certificate from a physician relating to his illness.
(b) 
An employee who has been absent on sick leave for periods totaling ten (10) days in one (1) calendar year consisting of periods of less than five (5) days, shall submit acceptable medical evidence for any additional sick leave in that year unless such illness is of a chronic or recurring nature requiring recurring absences of one (1) day or less in which case only one (1) certificate shall be necessary for a period of six (6) months.
(c) 
The Appointing Authority may require proof of illness of an employee on sick leave, whenever such requirement appears reasonable. Abuse of such leave shall be cause for disciplinary action.
(d) 
The City Administrator may schedule medical examinations for all City employees annually, or more frequently if required.
[R.O. 1957, 5:10-4, adopted Dec. 1, 1969; amended by MC 1973-74, § 4, Jan. 15, 1973]
(a) 
For purposes of sick or death leave, immediate family means the employee's spouse, child, and his or his spouse's parent or his brother or sister or any member of the immediate household, or one standing in a similar relationship to such employee, as determined by the City Administrator.
(b) 
Accumulated sick leave may be used by an employee for personal illness, or illness in his immediate family, (in which case it shall not exceed five (5) working days in one (1) calendar year without the approval of the Department Director), quarantine restrictions, pregnancy, or disabling injuries.
[R.O. 1957, 5:10-5, adopted Dec. 1, 1969; MC 1978-9, April 17, 1978]
(a) 
In the event of a death in the immediate family of the employee, the Department Director may grant not more than three (3) days leave with pay. Such "death in the family" leave shall begin within five (5) days of the death in the immediate family.
[R.O. 1957, 5:10-6, adopted Dec. 1, 1969]
(a) 
In the event that an employee is unable to report to work due to weather or civil emergency, the Department Director, at the discretion of the employee, may charge the time off to accumulated vacation leave or sick leave. The employee shall notify his supervisor of his inability to report for work.
(b) 
In the event that an employee wished to observe a religious or national holiday for which no regular holiday has been declared, he may charge the time off to accumulated vacation leave or sick leave, provided he received prior approval from the Appointing Authority and the needs of the City permit it.
(c) 
In the event that an employee is required to serve jury duty, he shall be paid his regular rate of pay upon presentation of proper evidence of jury service.
[R.O. 1957, 5:10-7, adopted, December 1, 1969; as amended by MC 1971-9, § 4, September 20, 1971; MC 1978-9, April 17, 1978; MC 1994-04, March 3, 1997]
(a) 
When a City employee suffers an injury/illness in the performance of his/her job duties, the Department Director/designate, with the approval of the City Administrator may grant leave as deemed required by the Worker's Compensation panel physician, for a period not to exceed one (1) year.
(b) 
With the exception of uniform police and fire personnel, no compensation other than medical aid shall accrue and be payable until the employee has been disabled for a period of seven (7) days, whether the days of the disability immediately follow the accident or whether they be consecutive or not. During this seven (7) day period the employee shall be entitled to utilize accumulated sick and vacation time. If it is determined by the panel physician that the injury/illness qualifies for Worker's Compensation and the employee is out of work for more than seven (7) days, sick/vacation time utilized during the initial seven (7) days shall be restored.
(c) 
An employee shall be considered temporarily disabled for any period of recovery from a job related injury/illness during which he/she is unable to work for more than seven (7) days. An employee (with the exception of uniformed police and fire personnel) that is considered temporarily disabled shall receive income replacement benefits consistent with the minimum and maximum workers' disability compensation rates allowable under the New Jersey Workers' Compensation Act (N.J.S.A. 34:15-1 et seq.).
(d) 
Uniform employees (uniform police and fire personnel) that have been determined temporarily disabled by the City's panel physician, regardless of the number of days such employee is unable to work, shall be entitled to receive income replacement benefits of one hundred percent (100%) of his/her weekly wage for the period he/she is unable to work up to one (1) year from the initial date of the injury/illness.
(e) 
When a leave of absence has been granted to any uniform police and fire personnel, pursuant to Subsection (d) of this section, the employee shall not be charged with any sick leave time for time lost due to such particular injury or disability.
(f) 
There shall be no accumulation of sick and vacation benefits after six (6) consecutive months' use of job related sick and injury leave.
[MC 1978-9, April 17, 1978]
(a) 
When a full time city employee (including uniformed police or fire personnel with less than (5) five years' service) other than temporary, part-time or seasonal employee is injured or becomes ill as a result of a non-job related incident, the employee shall receive fifty percent (50%) of his salary as determined at the time of the incident less all other benefits that shall accrue. The injured or sick employee shall receive the indicated salary only after he has exhausted all of his accumulated sick and vacation leave. The maximum monthly payment shall be One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00). If the employee's sick and vacation leave expires before the end of the 180-day benefit waiting period the employee shall be paid fifty percent (50%) of salary less all other benefits only after a determination by the City Physician that the employee's sickness or injury is of sufficient quality or duration that could qualify the employee for Long Term Disability as defined by the Carrier of the City's Long Term Disability Insurance. An employee dissatisfied with the opinion of the City Physician may appeal the City Physician's determination to the City Administrator on the basis of a second medical opinion.
(b) 
When a uniformed fire or police employee with more than (5) five years service is injured or becomes ill as a result of a non-job related incident the employee will be paid fifty percent (50%) salary less all other benefits, after exhausting all sick and vacation leave, for a period of one (1) year or until the employee can return to work whichever comes first. One (1) year from the date of the incident or the beginning of the illness all non-job related disability payments will stop and the employee must take advantage of the disability benefits available to the uniformed employee through the Police and Fire Pension Plan.
(c) 
In the case of a lengthy non-job related illness or injury, the City may allow, with the approval of the City Administrator, employees with at least one (1) year of service to borrow up to two (2) years future sick and vacation time upon exhaustion of accumulated sick and vacation leave. The agreement to pay back the borrowed and accumulated sick and vacation time shall be a statement in writing executed by the involved employee.
[R.O. 1957, 5:10-8, adopted Dec. 1, 1969]
(a) 
Maternity leave may be granted for a period of six (6) months, provided the request for such leave is made in writing to the Appointing Authority no later than the fourth (4th) month of pregnancy.
(b) 
This leave may be extended for an additional six (6) months with the approval of the Appointing Authority and the governing body. Requests for maternity leave must be favorably endorsed by the Appointing Authority before becoming effective.
(c) 
Such leave, if granted, shall be without pay. Under no circumstances, shall an employee work beyond the sixth (6th) month of pregnancy.
[R.O. 1957, 5:10-9, adopted December 1, 1969; MC 1993-26, July 19, 1993]
(a) 
(1) 
Any full time employee or any part time employee who enters the military service in time of war or emergency, or for any period of training, or pursuant to any selective service system, shall be entitled to a leave of absence with pay not to exceed fourteen (14) days in the aggregate in any one (1) calendar year. This paid leave of absence shall be in addition to the employee's accrued vacation time. A leave of absence without pay shall be granted for any additional and/or advanced/specialized field training. During such leave of absence the employee has the option of utilizing accrued vacation and/or accrued compensatory time (if applicable).
(2) 
When a full time or part time permanent employee has been called to active duty or inducted into the military or naval forces of the United States, the employee shall be granted an indefinite leave of absence without pay for the duration of such active military service, provided he/she does not voluntarily extend such service. The employee has the option of requesting to utilize accrued vacation time and/or compensatory time (if applicable) prior to being placed on leave without pay.
(3) 
Each employee will be reinstated without loss of privileges, seniority, or pension rights if he/she returns to work within sixty (60) days following his/her honorable discharge from military service. The employee shall be required to notify the City of his/her intent to return to work thirty (30) days prior to his/her discharge from military service.
(4) 
If an employee is incapacitated by wound or illness at the time of discharge, the unpaid leave of absence shall be extended until three (3) months from recovery but in no event more than two (2) years from the date of the discharge.
(5) 
No entitlement under this section shall be granted if the separation from military service is by a dishonorable discharge, per N.J.S.A. 23:23-4.
(b) 
State Service-New Jersey National Guard.
(1) 
Pursuant to N.J.A.C. 4A:6-1.11, military leave shall be granted to any full time employee or part time employees who are members of the New Jersey National Guard for a period not to exceed ninety (90) days in the aggregate in any one (1) year without loss of pay or time, and said leave shall be in addition to the regular vacation allowed to such employees. Said military leave shall be subject to the following types of military duty:
(A) 
Any military duty ordered by the Governor in accordance with N.J.S.A. 38A:4-4 and N.J.A.C. 4A:6-1.10(b).
(B) 
Active Duty (AD), pursuant to N.J.S.A. 5A:2-2.3(b)1 is a period of full time duty in the active State military service other than Active Duty Training (ADT).
(C) 
Active Duty for Training (ADT), in accordance with N.J.A.C. 5A:2-2.3(b)2, is a period of full time duty in the active State military service for training purposes other than Active Duty (AD). It includes the following types of duty:
(i) 
Annual training
(ii) 
Commissioned Officer Basic and Advanced Branch Training
(iii) 
Duty Military Occupational Specialty or Duty Air Force Specialty Code (pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5A:2-2.3(b)2iii]
(iv) 
New Jersey Military Academy Faculty and Staff Support
(v) 
Training or other specified duty required to meet Federal Unit Mission Readiness Standards:
(vi) 
Professional development training courses not available by correspondence course required to meet Federal or State promotion or Retention Standards.
(vii) 
Duty or other training required by higher Federal Headquarters for the administration and management of the National Guard.
(2) 
Military leaves of absence with pay are not authorized for City employees for periods of Initial Active Duty for Training (IADT), Inactive Duty Training (IDT), or any other military duty not specified above.
[R.O. 1957, 5:10-10, as amended Feb. 2, 1970]
(a) 
In lieu of overtime compensation, an employee may be granted leave with pay as compensation for overtime work. The Department Director shall determine whether overtime shall be compensated for by the granting of compensatory leave or by payment in cash.
(b) 
Compensatory leave, when granted, must be scheduled and used within ninety (90) days from the time earned, unless otherwise requested by the employee and approved by the department head.
(c) 
Compensatory leave shall be granted on the same basis as overtime compensation as set forth in Section 11:7-2.[1]
[1]
Cross reference: See Section 11:7-2 for computation of overtime compensation.
[R.O. 1957, 5:10-11, adopted December 1, 1969]
(a) 
Leave without pay may be granted to full-time and part-time permanent employees and to full-time unclassified employees. Normally, it shall be granted only when the employee has used his accumulated sick and vacation leave in the case of illness, or his vacation leave if leave without pay is requested for reasons other than illness.
(b) 
Written request for leave without pay must be initiated by the employee, favorably endorsed by the Department Director and approved by the City Administrator.
(c) 
Such leave, except for military leave without pay, shall not be approved for a period of longer than six (6) months at one (1) time.
[R.O. 1957, 5:10-12, adopted Dec. 1, 1969]
(a) 
A request for any type of leave shall be made on a form prescribed by the City Administrator. Such request, whenever possible, shall be made far enough in advance to permit approval, and at the same time, to permit coverage for the particular employment so the City services will not suffer.
(b) 
In the case of sick leave, the employee shall notify his supervisor immediately if he is unable to report for work.