[Adopted 12-5-1988 by Ord. No. O-30-88]
A. The policies herein detailed are a guide to the personnel
practices of the Township of Monroe. The purpose of the personnel
policies is to make standard and equitable those rules and regulations
which apply to all employees.
B. These policies are not intended to supplant or contradict
any existing labor agreement. Where direct contradictions may occur,
it is understood that the applicable labor contract shall govern.
C. It is important to recognize that all employees are
here to serve the public to the best of their ability and to bring
credit to Monroe Township.
A. It shall be the policy of the Township of Monroe to
provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color,
sex, age, national origin or ancestry, religious affiliation or physical
disability that does not interfere with the ability to perform the
duties of the position.
B. No employee may be appointed, promoted or transferred
to any position where they will either supervise or be supervised
by any family member. This provision shall apply to all nonpermanent
appointments.
C. No vacancy for full-time employment, other than promotion
from within a department, shall be filled without the position and
qualifications being publicly posted for a period of two weeks and
advertised three days during each of said two weeks, said advertising
to include two consecutive Sundays.
[Added 7-1-1991 by Ord. No. O-17-91]
A. It shall be the policy of the Township to appoint,
promote, demote and remove all employees without regard to political
consideration.
B. Employees of Monroe Township shall serve all residents
equally. The political opinions or affiliations of any resident shall
not affect the quality of service provided by the Township.
C. Township employees shall not engage in any political
activities during working hours or on Township property.
D. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent
Township employees from becoming or continuing to be members of any
political party, club or organization; attending political meetings
off Township property; or voting with complete freedom in any election.
Township employees are prohibited from engaging
in any outside employment which interferes with an employee's performance
or creates a conflict of interest.
As municipal employees, most of us are in contact
with the public on a daily basis. Your appearance is a reflection
of the Township's attitude toward the people it serves. While the
way you dress will vary according to the duties you perform, please
dress appropriately at all times.
[Amended 12-14-1999 by Ord. No. 0-39-99]
When an employee is required to travel to fulfill
the duties of their position or is attending an approved conference,
course, etc., and a Township vehicle is not available, the employee
will be reimbursed at a rate which is commensurate with the regulations
established by the Internal Revenue Service.
Employees are responsible for reporting accidents
immediately to their department head, who, in turn, shall report to
the Administrator within 24 hours. Accidents include injury on the
job as well as damage to public property. Failure to report an accident
in a timely fashion shall be cause for disciplinary action.
In order to provide for smooth and orderly employee
transitions, proper notice of resignations must be given. Employees
are encouraged to provide four weeks' notice. The minimum notice requirement
shall be two weeks and shall be given, in writing, to the immediate
supervisor and department head.
It is the responsibility of the individual employee
to submit all necessary documentation to the Division of Pensions
when planning for retirement. Due to budgetary provisions, an employee
is to notify the Township during the calendar year prior to the intended
retirement. A minimum of six months' notice should be given to allow
the completion of required documents by the Finance Department.
A. Employees are entitled to review their individual
personnel records during normal business hours and within a reasonable
time of the request to review such records. Only those employees charged
with personnel and payroll responsibilities, i.e., Administrator,
Mayor and Finance Department, shall have the authority to review other
employee's personnel records. Personnel records shall be reviewed
in the presence of the Administrator or his designee.
B. All employees shall immediately notify the Administrator
of any revisions in personnel information, including but not limited
to name, address, telephone number, marital status, insurance beneficiary
or number of dependents.
The Township retains and reserves all powers,
rights, authority, duties and responsibilities conferred upon it,
including but not limited to: the executive management and administrative
control of the Township government and its properties and facilities
and the activities of its employees; to determine qualifications for
and conditions of employment or assignment; to set the duties of a
position and the hours of operation; and to promote, demote, transfer,
suspend, discharge or take other disciplinary actions for just cause.
The New Jersey Department of Personnel was created
to ensure that state, county and municipal employment is regulated
through a merit system. The Township of Monroe operates within the
rules and regulations of the New Jersey Department of Personnel.
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meaning indicated:
FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE
An employee whose regular weekly schedule is 30 hours or
more.
[Amended 7-27-2010 by Ord. No. O:11-2010]
PART-TIME EMPLOYEE
An employee whose regular weekly schedule is less than 30
hours.
[Amended 7-27-2010 by Ord. No. O:11-2010]
SEASONAL EMPLOYEE
An employee hired during certain peak periods on an annual
basis, for example, summer recreation programs.
[Amended 7-27-2010 by Ord. No. O:11-2010]
TEMPORARY/CASUAL EMPLOYEE
An employee hired to fill a specific need to supplement the
permanent work force: for example, to cover during extended sick time
or other extraordinary circumstances. The employee does not maintain
a regular weekly schedule.
[Amended 7-27-2010 by Ord. No. O:11-2010; 7-24-2012 by Ord. No.
O:19-2012]
[Amended 12-14-1999 by Ord. No. O-40-99; 5-22-2001 by Ord. No. O-16-2001; 7-24-2012 by Ord. No.
O:19-2012; 8-24-2015 by Ord. No. O:28-2015]
Health and leave benefits are not applicable
to temporary, seasonal or part-time employees, individuals appointed
by the Mayor in a part-time capacity or any elected officials of the
municipality. Any elected official who currently has health benefits
shall be permitted to retain those benefits or optout stipend
for the remainder of their current term. At the conclusion of their
current term, any/all benefits shall cease in accordance with this
chapter. Any director appointed by the Mayor, who is employed less
than 30 hours per week, is not entitled to health benefits or any
opt-out stipends that are offered to all other Township employees.
[Amended 7-27-2010 by Ord. No. O:11-2010]
A. The Township of Monroe recognizes the following as
legal paid holidays:
[Amended 7-24-2012 by Ord. No. O:19-2012; 2-28-2024 by Ord. No. O:05-2024]
|
New Year's (observed)
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Fourth of July (observed)
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Martin Luther King Day
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Labor Day
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|
Presidents Day
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General Election Day
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Good Friday
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Veterans Day
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Easter Monday
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Thanksgiving Day
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Memorial Day
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Friday after Thanksgiving
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Juneteenth National Independence Day (June 19th)
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Christmas Day (observed)
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B. Whenever a holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding
Friday shall be the designated holiday. Whenever a holiday falls on
a Sunday, the next Monday shall be the designated day.
A. All full-time employees shall be entitled to 15 paid
sick days per year. During the first calendar year of employment,
employees will earn one paid sick day per month of service.
B. Unused sick leave may be accumulated without limitation.
An employee who retires shall be paid for 75% of all unused sick leave,
unless modified by an existing labor agreement. Due to budgetary constraints,
the Township reserves the right to withhold payment to an employee
until such time as the subsequent budget is adopted when advance notice,
as delineated in the retirement section, is not given.
C. In any instance where a supervisor has reason to suspect
sick leave abuse, the supervisor shall have the right to require a
physician's certificate. A physician's certificate shall be required
for all absences due to illness for a period exceeding three days.
In addition, a certificate shall be required for all absence due to
illness which exceeds 10 days in a calendar year.
[Amended 7-24-2012 by Ord. No. O:19-2012]
D. An employee may use sick leave for a period in increments of 0.25
hours.
[Amended 5-7-1990 by Ord. No. O-9-90; 4-23-2018 by Ord. No.
O:11-2018]
E. The attendance record of each employee will be reviewed
on an annual basis and shall be considered as one criteria whenever
a possible promotion, demotion or reduction in the work force is contemplated.
F. During extended periods of illness, the Township may
require interim reports on the condition of the patient from the attending
physician and/or the Township Physician.
G. Sick leave with pay will not be approved under the
following conditions:
(1) If in the opinion of the Township Physician the disability
or illness is not of a sufficient severity to justify the employee's
absence from duty.
(2) When the absence requires a physician's certificate
and none is provided by the employee.
[Amended 7-27-2010 by Ord. No. O:11-2010]
A. "Disability" is hereby defined as an illness or non-work-related
injury because of which an employee, under a physician's care, is
deemed through medical diagnosis as unable to perform the essential
functions of his or her job duties.
B. In order to be eligible to receive paid disability
leave, an employee must submit to the Human Resources Department a
disability certification form prior to such leave or as soon as practicable
that presents reasonable medical documentation regarding the nature
and extent of his or her disability and the projected duration of
the period of disability.
C. A full-time employee who is disabled through illness
or non-work-related injury shall be eligible to receive disability
benefits in accordance with N.J.S.A. 43:21-38 (P.L. 2019, c. 37, § 11)
or pursuant to the following schedule, whichever is greater as to
amounts of benefits and number of weeks supplemented, unless otherwise
stated in the employees collective bargaining agreement:
[Amended 7-24-2012 by Ord. No. O:19-2012; 4-24-2023 by Ord. No. O:20-2023]
At Least Year(s) of Service
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Less Than Year(s) of Service
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Benefit Weeks @ 85%
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Benefit Weeks @ 50%
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Total Weeks Supplemented
|
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1
|
2
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26
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0
|
26
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2
|
3
|
26
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0
|
26
|
3
|
4
|
26
|
0
|
26
|
4
|
5
|
26
|
0
|
26
|
5
|
6
|
26
|
0
|
26
|
6
|
7
|
26
|
8
|
34
|
7
|
8
|
26
|
10
|
36
|
8
|
9
|
26
|
15
|
41
|
9
|
10
|
26
|
20
|
46
|
10
|
15
|
26
|
26
|
52
|
15
|
20
|
26
|
26
|
52
|
20
|
25
|
26
|
26
|
52
|
25
|
30
|
26
|
26
|
52
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30 and over
|
|
26
|
26
|
52
|
D. A disability entitling an employee to the above benefits
shall be defined as eight calendar days of continuous absence from
employment. An employee must utilize accrued sick leave in the eight
calendar days leading up to the disability period.
E. An employee who is on disability and uses all of the
75% salary weeks must utilize all accrued sick leave days before being
placed on 50% salary under the disability schedule.
[Amended 7-24-2012 by Ord. No. O:19-2012]
F. An employee must return to work for a minimum of six
months before another disability leave may be granted. The Township
Council at its discretion may waive and/or alter this requirement
by resolution.
G. In the
event that an employee has utilized all of his or her disability time
and all accrued sick leave, the Township Council may, on a monthly
basis by resolution, grant up to an additional six months of disability
leave at 1/2 pay.
H. The employee
shall be subject to a payroll deduction of $5 per pay period up to
a maximum of $120 annually for disability leave provided under this
section.
A. Notwithstanding any other written agreements, annual
paid vacation shall be earned as follows by all full-time employees
not covered under an employment contract or Collective Bargaining
Agreement: for reference in this Code, a vacation day is equal to
eight hours:
[Amended 2-28-2024 by Ord. No. O:05-2024]
(1) During the first 12 months of employment, one day's
vacation per month.
(2) After 12 months, but less than three years, 12 days'
vacation.
(3) Three years, but less than 10 years, 15 days' vacation.
(4) Ten years, but less than 15 years, 20 days' vacation.
(5) Fifteen years, but less than 20 years, 25 days' vacation.
(6) Employees hired prior to the passing of this ordinance
with 20 years or more, 30 days vacation. Employees hired after the
passing of this ordinance in February 2024 will not earn vacation
days in excess of 25 days.
B. Employees shall be credited with vacation days, as
earned, on their anniversary date. However, if an employee resigns
or retires prior to the end of the calendar year, any additional vacation
time granted shall be prorated, and any unearned vacation time used
shall be charged.
C. Employees shall be required to request vacation time
of five consecutive days or more at least two weeks in advance, in
order to facilitate work scheduling.
D. Supervisors shall schedule vacations to allow for
the least amount of disruption of service to the public. when scheduling
vacations, seniority shall be considered.
E. Vacation leave up to 80 hours can be carried from
one year to the next. Any vacation time that is carried over must
be used by the end of the first pay period in April. For example,
if the pay period ends on April 1, the carry over vacation time must
be used by April l.
[Amended 2-28-2024 by Ord. No. O:05-2024]
F. An employee may use vacation leave in increments of 0.25 hours.
[Amended 4-23-2018 by Ord. No. O:11-2018]
G. Extra compensation shall not be permitted in lieu
of unused vacation time. This does not apply to employees who separate
in good standing from the Township.
[Amended 5-7-1990 by Ord. No. O-9-90; 11-13-2017 by Ord.
No. O:35-2017; 4-23-2018 by Ord. No. O:11-2018]
All permanent full-time employees shall be entitled to two paid
days per year to conduct personal business. These days shall not be
cumulative from year to year, nor shall any employee be paid for any
unused personal leave. Personal leave may be taken in increments of
0.25 hours.
A. All full-time employees shall be entitled to five
paid days' leave, one of which shall be the day of the funeral, in
the event of the death in the employee's immediate family. For purposes
of this section, immediate family shall include father, mother, wife,
husband, child, brother, sister or any relative of the employee's
immediate household living with the employee.
B. All employees shall be entitled to two paid days leave,
one of which shall be the day of the funeral, in the event of the
death of grandparents, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, father-in-law,
mother-in-law, sister-in-law or brother-in-law.
The Township of Monroe encourages its employees
to fulfill all of their civic duties, including serving as jurors
when summoned. All employees shall receive their regular rate of pay
for those days when serving jury duty, Appropriate documentation for
jury service may be required.
A leave of absence without pay and benefits
may be requested by any employee, in writing, to his/her department
head. The department head shall forward a recommendation to the Administrator
Mayor, who may grant the requested leave for a period not to exceed
six months. Such leaves may be renewed for an additional six-month
period. Any requested leave of absence exceeding one year may be granted
only by approval of the Mayor.
A. Overtime work shall be kept to a minimum and must
be authorized in advance by the supervisor.
B. All employees not designated as "salaried employees
- overtime exempt" by the Salary Ordinance shall be entitled to overtime pay equal to 1 1/2
times their normal pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours
per week. Employees required to work on Saturday, except those whose
normal work schedule includes Saturday, shall be paid time and a half
for all hours worked. Employees required to work on Sunday or holidays,
except those whose normal work schedule includes Sunday and holidays,
shall be paid double time for all hours worked.
[Added 10-26-2004 by Ord. No. O-36-2004]
A. A permanent or full-time temporary officer or employee
of the municipality who has served for one year or more, who is a
member of the National Guard or other component of the organized militia
of the State of New Jersey, shall be entitled to a leave of absence
from his/her respective duty without loss of pay or time for the first
90 workdays in each calendar year on which he or she shall be engaged
in any period of federal active duty and unlimited paid leave in the
case of state active duty.
[Amended 7-24-2012 by Ord. No. O:19-2012]
B. A permanent or full-time temporary officer or employee
of the municipality who has served one year or more, who is a member
of the organized reserve of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps or Coast
Guard of the United States or affiliated organizations, including
the National Guard of other states, shall be entitled to a leave of
absence with pay not to exceed 30 work days in the aggregate in a
calendar year when he or she shall be engaged in any period of federal
active duty.
[Amended 7-24-2012 by Ord. No. O:19-2012]
C. For all subsequent workdays in each calendar year during which the
officer or employee is engaged in federal active duty, the officer
or employee shall be entitled to a leave of absence with pay equal
to the differential between his state and political subdivision salary
and his/her military base pay, without loss of time. If an officer's
or employee's military base pay is greater than his state or political
subdivision salary, a leave of absence for such duty shall be without
pay, but without loss of time. A leave of absence hereinabove described
shall be in addition to the regular vacation or other accrued leave
allowed such officer or employee.
[Added 7-24-2012 by Ord. No. O:19-2012]
D. It has
been determined that any full-time temporary officer or employee of
the municipality who has served for one year or more shall be entitled
to said benefit for a period of 30 workdays or 90 workdays determined
by organization affiliation. Notwithstanding the provisions of this
section, it is hereby acknowledged that the regular work period for
any employee who receives a defined benefit under this chapter may
vary between a four- and five-day workweek or other rotating schedule.
For the purposes of this chapter, based upon the possible disparity
in the workweek for the Township employees, the extended pay period
granted as a result of the absence for military leave and determined
by organization affiliation shall be six weeks or 240 hours or not
exceed a period of 18 weeks or 720 hours.
[Added 7-24-2012 by Ord. No. O:19-2012]
E. Leave of absence for such military duty shall be in
addition to the regular vacation or other accrued leave allowed such
officers and employees by the municipality.
F. Notwithstanding Subsections
A and
B of this section, a full-time temporary officer or employee who has served under such temporary appointment for less than one year shall receive for the service hereinabove described leave without pay, but without loss of time.
All employees shall notify their supervisor
if they will be absent from work. Notification shall be made within
one hour of the employee's normal starting time. Failure to report
to work and notify the supervisor within this time frame shall result
in disciplinary action.
A. Employees are paid on a biweekly basis. Employees
are compensated for work performed the previous two weeks.
[Amended 7-24-2012 by Ord. No. O:19-2012]
B. The Township withholds certain deductions according
to federal and state laws.
[Amended 9-25-2001 by Ord. No. O-29-2001]
A. All employees must report their time worked by use
of a time management system established by the administration of the
Township.
B. All employees are expected to report to work at their
assigned starting times. Repeated lateness may result in the following
disciplinary action:
[Amended 3-25-2013 by Ord. No. O:05-2013]
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Lateness
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Action
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Third time in a 12-month period
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Verbal warning
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Fourth time in a 12-month period
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Written warning
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Fifth time in a 12-month period
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1-day suspension
|
|
Sixth time in a 12-month period
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3-day suspension
|
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Seventh time in a 12-month period
|
Dismissal
|
C. The Supervisor of each department shall be required
to submit all data and information necessary to the administration
as part of the established time management system.