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Section 3: Benefits - Leaves
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Leaves/Absences with Pay

1. Sick Leave (See Eligible Benefits Chart)

Accrual Of Sick Leave

Sick leave for eligible employees shall accrue biweekly at the rate of one-half (0.5) day for each two weeks of employment. Maximum sick leave accrual is one hundred thirty-two (132) days. Part-time employees shall accrue sick leave in proportion to straight time hours employed each pay period.

Availability Of Sick Leave

Available for the following purposes, sick leave covers eligible employees and members of the employee's immediate family, who, in this instance, shall include the spouse, children, parents, foster parents, parents-in-law, siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren, legal guardianship, other dependents, or significant other (an individual with whom an employee has a continuing personal living arrangement that has existed over an extended period of time):

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Documentation

A statement from the University's designated physician and/or the employee's physician or a sworn affidavit may be required to sustain a claim of absence because of illness, injury, or disability. The University reserves the right to have the University designated physician make the final decision.

At the conclusion of an employee's sick leave, the University, at its option and without cost to the employee, may require that a physician or physicians of its choosing determine, by way of examination, the employee's fitness to return to work.

Advance Sick Leave

Sick leave shall not be allowed in advance of being earned. When an illness, injury, or disability has used the employee's total sick leave, the employee shall be removed from the payroll until such time as work is resumed or an approved leave of absence is granted.

Sick Leave Credit For Persons On Leave

Employees returning from an approved leave shall have credited to them any unused sick leave previously earned. This provision shall not apply to rehires.

2. Bereavement Leave

When an employee's spouse, children, mother, father, sister, brother, grandmother, grandfather, grandchildren, great-grandfather, great-grandmother, great-grandchildren, step-parents, step-children, father-in-law, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, foster parents, foster children, legal guardian, aunt, uncle or significant other (an individual with whom the employee has had a continued personal living arrangement which existed over an extended period of time) dies, the employee will be allowed three days bereavement leave to attend the funeral or service and make arrangements without loss of pay. If additional time off is needed, the employee may request the use of sick time, compensatory time, or leave of absence without pay.

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3. Vacation and Annual Leave

You are provided vacation time and annual leave for rest and personal convenience. You may not take the leave in advance of it being earned, and pay in lieu of vacation is not allowed (except as noted below).

Vacation Leave Accrual

Vacation time begins to accumulate on the first date of employment. Part-time employees accrue vacation leave in proportion to straight-time hours employed each pay period. Your accrual balance is shown on your pay stub and on a report received by your department biweekly. Employees on a leave of absence without pay or on a layoff will not accrue vacation during such period. However, employees returning from an approved leave will have credited to them any unused vacation previously earned. This provision will not apply to rehires.

Eligibility - Exempt Employees

Eligibility - Non-Exempt Employees

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Vacation accrual rate (in days) for non exempt employees is based upon the table below:

Non-exempt Vacation Accrual Rates

Years of Service
 
Accrual Rate/Year (in days)
1
5
2-4
10
5-7
15
8-12
18
13-17
21
18+
24

Use

In an effort to maintain a smooth-running operation with minimal disruption, some departments may establish certain limitations on the length of vacation, the number of employees who can be on vacation at one tome, or time periods when vacations can be scheduled. Within these limitations, your supervisor will endeavor to meet your requested time off for vacation periods.

Exempt employee -
may not use vacation time until after you complete one calendar month of employment.
Non-exempt employee -
may not use vacation time until after you complete 3 months of employment

Other conditions

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4. Personal Leave

Employees are eligible for one Personal Day each year to be used by September 1. Personal Days do not carryover to the next year. Personal Days are awarded at time of hire.

5. Maternity Leave

Michigan Tech recognizes the need to support employees as they balance career, childbirth, and family obligations. A holistic review of all of our leave policies needs to be done in a deliberate fashion to develop a general parental leave policy for birth and adoptive parents. To have something available immediately for birth mothers the following interim practice is put into place. This document outlines parameters for a maternity leave to be applied within our current policy which allows the President to approve a leave of absence with pay for specific occasions.

PARAMETERS FOR LEAVE OF ABSENCE (MATERNITY-BIRTH MOTHER ONLY)
To be used in conjunction with Leaves/Absences with Pay Policy.
Note: these parameters will be in place until the program can be evaluated and assessed and a regular policy can be developed.
Non-tenure track faculty, research faculty, professional and non-represented staff.

* The intent is that faculty can get paid for a full semester without having to meet regularly scheduled classes (but still maintain graduate student supervision and research), or for up to 6 weeks without any teaching, research, and service responsibilities. "concurrent" means that:

Please see section 6.2.3.5 Maternity Leave of the Faculty Handbook for parameters for tenured/tenure-track faculty.

Further information is available from the Benefits Office in the Human Resources Office.

Application
Maternity Leave shall be taken and completed within six months of the date of birth of the child. For tenured/tenure-track faculty, as far as it is possible, the commencement of a Maternity Leave shall coincide with the beginning of a semester. The faculty member shall submit written request to her Department Chair (the Dean in case of schools) to be forwarded to the Dean and Provost as far in advance as possible but at least 30 days prior to the beginning of the semester during which the leave is to be taken. Professional staff shall submit written notice to their supervisor to be forwarded to the Director and appropriate Vice President/CFO/CIO. Per 6.2.3.1, Approved Absences with Pay (of the Faculty Handbook) require the approval of the president. Copies of the approved request will be sent to the Benefits Office.
Funding
In the interim, the associate cost for eligible persons on "soft money" contracts can be charged to Michigan Tech's retirement & insurance fund. The costs for eligible persons on general fund are carried by the units. For example, on the academic side, if a teaching substitute will be hired, the costs can be split between department, dean's office, and provost office.

6. Service Absence

A service absence entails military training (reservist or national guardsman) not exceeding twenty work days per year, or jury duty, or testifying due to a subpoena. Regular employees are paid the difference between military base pay, jury pay, or witness fees, and regular pay for work time lost during the employee's schedule of hours.

Military Service

A leave of absence for military service shall be granted upon written request through the employee's immediate supervisor and upon approval of the department chair/director and Human Resources, for a normal tour of duty.

Jury/Witness Service

If you are called for jury duty or to testify at the order of a court, you will be excused from your job without loss of pay or benefits for a period not to exceed thirty work days with pay in any calendar year. However, your regular wages will be reduced by the amount of any compensation you receive for such service.

When you report for jury duty but are not selected to serve for that day or session you must return to work for completion of the normal work schedule or until your next scheduled duty.

7. Absence on official University business.

8. Other special occasions specifically approved by the President.

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