Eligibility for employee benefits shall be governed by the respective
plan documents.
A.
Vacation schedule for full-time employees.
(1)
Vacation earned in one fiscal year shall be used by the end
of the next fiscal year. Employees shall earn paid vacation time for
each completed month of service based upon the following schedule:
|
Total Service
|
Vacation Allowance
|
|---|---|
|
Hire Date
|
3 weeks
|
|
5 years
|
4 weeks
|
|
15 years
|
5 weeks
|
(2)
For unaffiliated employees, "service" time includes time accumulated
in the same or similar positions with other employers when previous
experience is a prerequisite for employment. The amount of such additional
"service" time shall be subject to approval by the Town Manager.
B.
Vacation schedule for regular part-time employees.
|
Service as of July 1
|
Vacation Entitlement Based on Average Number of Hours Worked
in a 52-Week Period
|
|---|---|
|
Less than 6 full years
|
0.83 day per month
|
|
6 full years and less than 15 full years
|
1.25 days per month
|
|
15+ full years
|
1.66 days per month
|
(1)
Vacation for eligible part-time employees shall be prorated
based upon the number of hours worked weekly compared to the regular
work week. Eligible part-time employees shall receive vacation pay
based upon 1/5 of their straight time weekly pay. For example, an
employee regularly scheduled to work 17 1/2 hours per week earns
0.83 of a three-and-one-half-hour day or 2.9 hours of vacation time
a month.
C.
Carryover of vacation.
(1)
Eligible employees may accumulate from year to year a maximum of 10 earned vacation days in addition to his/her annual earned vacation leave as defined in the tables in Subsections A and B. Any employee with a balance of vacation leave in excess of the maximum accrual amount on November 1 of each year shall forfeit said excess accrual amount. Employees seeking to make a vacation carryover request must do so in writing, have the request signed by their department head, and then forward the request to the Town Manager's Office no later than October 15 for review and consideration. Vacation carryovers will only be granted for extenuating circumstances that prevented an employee from being able to use their leave during the past year.
(2)
Should an employee leave service for any reason, including but
not limited to retirement or resignation, they will not be paid out
for any balance of vacation leave in excess of their maximum accrual
amount on November 1 of each year and will forfeit said excess accrual
amount. Any approved excess carry-forward amounts should be used no
later than January 31 of the following year (three months) or they
will be forfeited.
D.
Vacation pay at termination.
(1)
For regular full-time employees, pay for accrued vacation time
is provided upon separation if the employee leaves in good standing
and provides the required notice. An employee is paid for vacation
time earned the previous fiscal year and not used in the present fiscal
year. Accrued vacation time shall consist of no more than the total
of:
(2)
Except for extenuating circumstances, department heads/division
heads shall provide at least four weeks' notice of a resignation;
supervisors shall provide at least three weeks' notice of a resignation;
and all other employees shall provide at least two weeks' notice
of a resignation.
E.
Payment of salary in lieu of vacation. Active employees may not trade
in vacation day(s) for compensation.
F.
Break in service. Vacation time is determined by the length of continuous
service. For purposes of computing vacation time, employees who leave
the Town service for one year or more, other than layoff, and are
later restored are considered as new employees.
G.
Advanced vacation. No employee may take vacation time beyond the
amount earned except in the most unusual of circumstances. Requests
for advanced vacation must be submitted by the department head to
the Town Manager, in writing, subject to approval by the Town Manager.
In the case of the Town Manager, approval must be granted by the Board
of Selectmen.
H.
Advanced vacation pay. In order for employees to receive vacation
pay in advance, the Personnel Action Form reporting vacations to be
taken must be received in the Finance Department at least one week
before the day of last payroll distribution before the start of vacation
to allow for the drawing of the check.
I.
Holiday celebrated during vacation. Observed holidays established
by these rules are not considered in the computation of vacation credit
as a part of the vacation time.
J.
Sickness while on vacation. An employee who becomes ill while on
vacation may not charge such illness to sick leave, unless a medical
certificate confirms said illness, and the request is approved by
the Town Manager. In the case of the Town Manager, approval must be
granted by the Board of Selectmen.
When it is necessary for an employee to take sick leave due
to nonoccupational illness or disability, the salary of the full-time
employee may be continued for a period not to exceed six months upon
the approval of the Town Manager and based on the needs of the Town
as determined in the sole discretion of the Town Manager. Among the
factors he or she may choose to consider are the nature of the disability
or illness, the service record of the employee, and the recommendation
of an attending physician and/or a Town-chosen physician. A paid sick
leave up to one month's pay may be granted to employees in their
introductory period.
A.
Notification of illness. In order to be paid for sick leave, an employee
must notify his/her department head as soon as possible, but not less
than within one hour of the time the employee is due to report for
duty, unless otherwise specified by the department head.
B.
C.
Abuse of sick leave. Abuse of sick leave shall result in discipline,
up to and including dismissal.
D.
Medical reporting requirements. An employee must submit a doctor's
certificate in excess of three consecutive sick days or where the
Town suspects abuse of sick leave. For absences of more than five
consecutive sick days, an employee must submit a doctor's certificate
which includes anticipated length of employee's absence, date
employee can safely return to work, and any physical limitations imposed
by the illness.
E.
Medical appointments. In order to minimize disruption in the workplace,
employees are asked to make medical appointments at the beginning
or end of the day if possible.
A.
Eligible employees and reasons for leave.
(1)
Employees who have worked for the Town for at least 12 months
and who have worked at least 1,250 hours in the twelve-month period
preceding the leave are eligible to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid
leave in any twelve-month period for the following reasons:
(a)
Birth, adoption or foster placement of a child.
(b)
To care for a child or parent who has a serious health condition.
(c)
Serious health condition of the employee that makes the employee
unable to perform the functions of his or her position.
(d)
To care for a covered service member with a serious injury or
illness, when the employee is the spouse, child, parent, or next of
kin of the service member.
(e)
Any qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that the employee's
spouse, child, or parent is a military member on covered active duty.
(2)
Leave for the birth, adoption or fostering of a child must be
used within 12 months following the birth or placement and must be
taken concurrently, that is, not intermittently or on a reduced leave
schedule, unless the Town agrees to such in writing.
(3)
Spouses employed by the Town may be limited to a total of 12
work weeks of leave in any twelve-month period if the leave is taken
for the birth, foster care placement or adoption of a child or for
the serious health condition of a parent. The twelve-week limit for
both spouses does not apply in the case of leave for other reasons.
In those cases, each employee is entitled to 12 weeks of leave.
(4)
Please note, 26 weeks of unpaid leave is available to care for
a covered service member with a serious health condition. Eligible
spouses who work for the same employer are also limited to a combined
total of 26 workweeks of leave in a single twelve-month period to
care for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness
(commonly referred to as "military caregiver leave") if each spouse
is a parent, spouse, child, or next of kin of the service member.
(5)
If it appears that the employee qualifies for family or medical
leave, the Town may unilaterally designated the leave as such.
B.
Rolling twelve-month period. The Town utilizes a rolling twelve-month
period for calculating leave.
C.
Types of leave and conditions.
(1)
Continuous leave may be taken for any of the reasons permitted
by the FMLA, and excuses the employee from work for a continuous period
of time.
(2)
Intermittent leave means leave taken in separate periods of
time rather than for one continuous period of time. Examples of intermittent
leave include: leave taken one day per week over a period of a few
months; or leave taken on an occasional/as-needed basis for medical
appointments.
(3)
Reduced schedule leave is leave that reduces the employee's
usual number of work hours per day for some period of time. For example,
an employee may request half-time work for a number of weeks so the
employee can assist in the care of a seriously ill parent.
(4)
If intermittent or reduced schedule leave is medically required,
the Town may, in its sole discretion, temporarily transfer the employee
to another job with equivalent pay and benefits that better accommodates
the type of leave requested.
D.
Use of accrued paid leave.
(1)
An eligible employee shall utilize all applicable accrued paid
leave for any part of a family or medical leave. Accrued paid personal
leave, compensatory leave, and vacation leave will be substituted
for any unpaid portions of family or medical leave taken for any reason.
However, where the leave is for the employee's own serious health
condition, accrued paid sick leave shall be substituted first for
unpaid portions of family or medical leave prior to the substitution
of paid accrued personal, compensatory, and vacation leave. The amount
of unpaid family or medical leave entitlement is reduced by the amount
of paid leave that is substituted; in other words, paid and unpaid
FMLA leave run concurrently.
(2)
Any hours of leave taken intermittently are deducted on an hour-by-hour
basis from the aggregate twelve-week entitlement.
E.
Notice.
(1)
Where leave is foreseeable, the employee must provide 30 days'
notice of his or her intent to take leave. Where this is not possible,
the employee must provide as much notice as practicable.
(2)
If the leave is taken for foreseeable medical treatment, the
employee must make a reasonable effort to schedule the treatment so
as not to disrupt the operations of the Town.
F.
Certification.
(1)
The request of an employee for the family or medical leave must
be supported by a certification issued by a health care provider that
states the date on which the serious health condition commenced, the
probable duration of the condition, the appropriate medical facts
regarding the condition, and whether the employee's serious health
condition makes the employee unable to perform his/her functions.
(2)
For a leave to care for a family member, the employer may require
certification as to the need of the employee to care for the family
member and an estimate of the amount of time needed. For intermittent
leave, Town may require certification as to the dates of expected
leave and anticipated duration. Such certification must be provided
with 15 calendar days, where practicable.
(3)
The Town may require, at its own expense, that the employee
obtain a second opinion by a health care provider designated or approved
by the Town concerning any information in the original certification.
If the second medical opinion differs from the initial opinion, a
third medical opinion, at the Town's expense and direction, may
be required. This third medical opinion is final and binding on the
Town and the employee. The Town may also require employees to periodically
report during their leave on their medical status and intention to
return to work.
G.
Health insurance.
(1)
During any period that an eligible employee takes such leave,
the Town will maintain coverage under any group health plan for the
duration of the leave at the level and under the conditions coverage
would have been provided if the employee had continued in active employment.
(2)
The employee will be expected to reimburse the Town for any
premiums that the Town paid for maintaining coverage under the group
health plan during any period of family and medical leave if the employee
fails to return from the leave after it has expired, except if the
employee fails to return because of a serious health condition or
circumstances beyond the employee's control.
H.
Continuation of benefits. Health benefits and long-term disability
insurance will be continued for the duration of any employee's
leave under the same circumstances as if the employee were not on
leave. Basic and additional life insurance will be continued during
family medical leave, subject to receipt of employee contributions
for additional life insurance. Pension will be continued for vesting
purposes only; periods of unpaid leave will not be included for purposes
of determining the amount of retirement income.
I.
Collection of employee contributions for benefits. Employee contributions
for medical insurance and life insurance will be due on the first
day of each month during which an employee is absent on family medical
leave, unless the employee is absent for a partial month, in which
case contributions are payable unless payroll deductions are made.
J.
Return to work.
(1)
An employee returning to work following such leave is entitled
to return to the position he or she held prior to the leave or to
an equivalent position with equivalent benefits.
(2)
However, reinstatement may be denied for key salaried employees
who are among the highest paid 10% of the workforce and whose leave
of absence would cause substantial and grievous economic injury to
the Town. In such cases, the Town must notify the employee of its
intent to deny reinstatement as soon as practicable after receipt
of a request for leave (or the commencement of leave, if earlier).
K.
Accrual of benefits. Employees do not accrue seniority or other benefits
during the period of unpaid leave unless such accrual is offered to
the employees on other temporary leave of absence.
L.
Questions regarding family or medical leave may be directed to the
Town Manager's Office.
A.
Occupational injury leave.
(1)
Injury leave, as distinguished from sick leave, means paid leave
given to an employee because of the absence from duty caused by an
accident or injury that occurred while the employee was engaged in
the performance of his/her duties for the Town.
(2)
The Town may supplement, for a period not to exceed six months,
the payments made under workers' compensation insurance so that
the employee will receive his/her normal weekly pay for the period
of time he/she is on injury leave. The employee must sign an agreement
to reimburse the Town the amount of his/her workers' compensation
pay if he/she wishes to be paid by the Town prior to his/her submission
of the workers' compensation pay voucher.
B.
Jury duty.
(1)
The Town will pay full-time employees regular straight time
wages that the employee would have otherwise received for a standard
workday for the first five days of an employee's jury duty; after
that, the Town will then pay the difference between jury duty pay
received from the court and the regular straight time wages the employee
would have otherwise received for a standard workday or week. Compensation
shall be payable only if the employee gives the Town notice from the
court indicating that they served either a half or full day and the
appropriate compensation.
(2)
Employees who are excused from jury duty, prior to completing
a full day, are expected to return to work. Depending on the circumstances,
second and third shift employees may or may not be required to work
while on jury duty.
(3)
Time spent on jury duty is considered as time worked in the
computation of overtime.
C.
Leave of absence. The Town Manager, upon recommendation of the department
head, may grant leaves of absence when necessary, with or without
pay, up to a maximum of two months. The Board of Selectmen may grant
leaves of absence for periods longer than two months. Employees on
an approved leave of absence will be responsible for the payment of
any applicable health insurance premium cost sharing.
D.
Bereavement pay. Up to five paid days off will be provided for death
of the employee's spouse; up to three paid days off will be provided
for death in the employee's immediate family (parent, parent-in-law,
child, sibling, grandparent or grandchild); and one paid day off shall
be provided for the death of the employee's niece, nephew, aunt
or uncle. Nothing contained herein shall prohibit the Town Manager
from granting additional unpaid bereavement leave at his/her discretion.
E.
Military leave.
(1)
The Town Manager may grant military leave upon request for active
duty in the National Guard or Armed Forces in accordance with Section
7-461 of the General Statutes of the State of Connecticut and applicable
federal law.
(2)
An employee called to reserve duty may request, in writing,
advanced payment of his/her salary, provided the employee will be
required to reimburse the Town any amount earned or paid to the employee
for reserve duty, up to but not exceeding the amount of advanced pay.
(3)
Unpaid military leave of absence will be granted to members
of the uniformed services in accordance with the Uniformed Services
Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA)[1] and state law. Employees must submit documentation of
the need for leave to Human Resources. When returning from military
leave of absence, an employee will be reinstated to their previous
position or a similar position as required by law. Employees must
notify Human Resources of your intent to return to employment as required
by law. For more information regarding status, compensation, benefits,
and reinstatement upon return from military leave, contact Human Resources.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 38 U.S.C. § 4301 et seq.
F.
Voting leave. If your work schedule prevents you from voting on Election
Day, the Town will allow you a reasonable time off to vote. The time
when you can go to vote will be at the discretion of your supervisor,
consistent with applicable legal requirements.
A.
Paid holidays.
(1)
The following holidays are granted with pay:
|
New Year's Day
|
|
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
|
|
Presidents' Day
|
|
Good Friday
|
|
Memorial Day
|
|
Independence Day
|
|
Labor Day
|
|
Veterans Day
|
|
Thanksgiving Day
|
|
Friday following Thanksgiving Day
|
|
Christmas Eve Day
|
|
Christmas Day
|
(2)
One additional holiday will be observed each year. The date
of these floating holidays shall be determined by the submission of
requested dates by the employee and approval by the Town Manager based
on the needs of the Town.
(3)
When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday shall
be the day off, and when a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following
Monday shall be the day off. Exceptions to this section are at the
discretion of the Town Manager.
B.
Attendance on days prior to and immediately after a holiday. Employees
are not paid for holidays unless they work the last scheduled day
prior to the holiday and the first scheduled day after the holiday
unless such employees are on vacation or on leave authorized by the
Town Manager or department head.
C.
Holiday pay for regular part-time employees. Regular part-time employees
receive holiday pay based upon 1/5 of their average week's pay
for each holiday.
Subject to the approval of the Town Manager, employees shall
be entitled to three paid personal days annually which may be used
for personal business that cannot be scheduled during nonwork hours.
Personal days may not be carried over from year to year.
The following are conditions to reimburse employees for tuition,
books, administrative fees, or other related charges:
A.
Request in writing to the department head stating the name of the
course and cost.
B.
Prior approval by the department head and Town Manager.
C.
No more than two courses will be reimbursed per year.
D.
Course must be work-related.
E.
Course must be successfully completed with a passing grade of "C"
or higher for reimbursement.
F.
The maximum reimbursement shall be the undergraduate or graduate
rate charged by the University of Connecticut.
In conjunction with the annual performance review process, each
employee will be encouraged to develop an individualized professional
development plan. Pay increases associated with merit may be based
on this annual review process.
A.
The Town offers various benefits to eligible employees, which may include health insurance, vision, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, and long-term disability insurance to full-time nonbargaining employees. Regular part-time employees may join the group insurance plans, except long-term disability, as provided in § 9.120.
B.
Insurance coverage shall be paid for on a basis as adopted by the
Board of Selectmen from time to time.
Life insurance, in an amount equal to two times the employee's
annual salary, shall be provided to full-time nonbargaining employees.
Long-term disability coverage is provided to employees in accordance
with the plan. Employees may request a summary plan description through
the Town Manager's Office.
Regular part-time employees may be eligible to join the certain
group insurance plans, A portion of the premiums for employee coverage
may be paid by the Town for eligible employees. Premiums for dependents
of the employees are not paid for by the Town. Dependents may be included
in health insurance coverage with the employee paying all of the dependent's
premium. The Board of Selectmen may change the Town's contribution
share from time to time. Ongoing participation is contingent on continuing
to meet the plan's eligibility requirement and making premium
contributions on a timely basis.
During an employee's absence under the Town's disability
plan or workers' compensation, the Town shall continue to pay
its portion of the cost of the employee's health insurance benefits.
It is the employee's responsibility to continue payment for any
contributory portion of benefits.
Employees are eligible to participate in the deferred compensation
plan in accordance with applicable federal and state laws and the
terms of the plan.
