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Section 32
FRINGE BENEFITS

  1. Leaves Without Pay. All leaves will comply with the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) where applicable. General provisions:

    1. Any request for a leave of absence shall be submitted in writing. The request shall state the reason the leave is being requested and the approximate length of time off the employee desires.

    2. At the time of the initial request and any request for extension of a leave of absence without pay, the Director of Human Resources, in conjunction with the employee's supervisor, shall make one of the following determinations:

      1. The employee's position will be held open for him/her.

      2. The employee's position cannot be held open, but a comparable position will be available in the department.

      3. The employee's position is not held, but upon return from the leave or during an extension, the employee, following the posting period, will have an interview opportunity for any bargaining unit opening to be filled for which the employee is qualified, unless an employee with more seniority is selected prior to the interview with the returning employee. In such a case the leave may be extended, consistent with paragraph B., at the employee's written request. If the employee does not request an extension the employee will be terminated.

  2. Personal Leave of Absence. The following, by way of illustration and not limitation, are examples of reasons that an employee may be granted a personal leave of absence: Illness, family or personal responsibilities, educational opportunities, etc.

    An employee who has completed the probationary period and upon written request to the supervisor, may be granted a leave of absence without pay for up to three (3) months upon approval by the Director of Human Resources in conjunction with the employee's supervisor.

    A written request may be made to extend a leave of absence, but the total leave time shall not exceed one (1) year or the extent of the employee's seniority, whichever is shorter. A leave of absence will not be granted for the purpose of obtaining employment elsewhere. An employee on a personal leave of absence may not work for another employer.

  3. Personal Leave of Absence for Illness or Disability. An employee who has completed the probationary period may be granted a personal leave of absence without pay due to illness or disability for such period of time as his/her physician shall state that he/she is unable to work, up to a maximum of one (1) year. If the employee is later able to return to work and is rehired by the University, the employee's seniority will be reinstated.

    The University may, at its option and without cost to the employee, require that a physician or physicians of its choosing examine the employee prior to, during, or following a personal leave for illness or disability.

  4. Extended Military Leave. Upon application to the Human Resources Department, a military leave of absence without pay for a normal tour of duty will be granted to employees who have acquired seniority. This applies to employees who are inducted through the Selective Service, voluntarily enlist or are called through membership in the National Guard or a reserve component into the Armed Forces of the United States.

    An employee returning to work from an extended military leave of absence shall be given his/her former job or a job of like status and pay, unless the University's circumstances have so changed as to make it unreasonable to do so. Application for reinstatement from extended military leave must be made within thirty (30) calendar days after his/her release; otherwise, he/she shall not be eligible to return to work. Except as otherwise herein provided, the re-employment rights of such employees returning from extended military leave shall be limited by applicable laws and regulations.

  5. Educational Leave for Veterans. Employees who are reinstated in accordance with the Universal Military Training Act, as amended, and other applicable laws and regulations, will be granted leaves of absence without pay for a continuous period of time equal to their seniority, but not to exceed four (4) years in order to attend school full time under applicable federal laws in effect on the date of this Agreement.

  6. Military Training Leave. Regular, full-time employees who belong to the National Guard, Officer Reserve Corps, or other reservist groups, will be granted a leave of absence for the required normal tour of duty defined in the official military orders. The University will pay the difference between the employee's military pay and his/her straight-time pay, if his/her military pay is less, for up to twenty (20) working days per calendar year during such military leaves. If the employee takes military leave during his/her vacation he/she will receive full pay.

  7. Leave for Association Employment. Members of the Association elected to local Association positions or selected by the Association to do work which takes them from their employment with the University may, at the written request of the Association, be granted leaves of absence without pay for periods not to exceed two (2) years or the term of office, whichever may be shorter. This section applies only to those employees who leave the University's employment to accept a position with the Association.

  8. Political Leave. A bargaining unit member, when elected or appointed to an office of public service which requires the employee to serve full-time in order to fulfill the obligations of the office, shall be granted a leave of absence without pay for the period of the employee's service in office.

    A leave of absence for a period of one (1) year or more for political leave may be renewed annually in response to a written request received prior to the expiration of the leave. Seniority will be accumulated during the leave of absence. The seniority may not be used relative to any bargaining unit benefit.

  9. Return from Leave. An employee who takes a leave of absence for an approved period from a position that is to be held open until he/she returns shall be given a written communication by his/her immediate supervisor approving the leave, with the period of the leave specifically stated. The employee shall return as specified on the leave of absence form prepared at the time the University agreed to the leave. Failure to return from leave on the date specified will result in termination without prejudice. An employee for whom first interview opportunities are available shall contact Human Resources at least two (2) weeks prior to the expiration of a leave of absence in order to be a candidate for open positions. The University's obligation to place an employee shall cease when the employee has turned down two (2) interview opportunities or one (1) job offer for a comparable position. At that time, the employee will be terminated without prejudice.

  10. Return from Association Business or Political Leave. An employee who is returning from Association Business or Political leave shall notify the University in writing of his/her intent to return at least thirty (30) days in advance of the date of his/her intended return. The employee will be placed, as outlined in paragraph I of this section, in the first vacant position for which the employee is qualified and which most closely approximates the pay level of the employee prior to the leave of absence and provided the employee would otherwise have maintained seniority recall rights.

  11. Pay Upon Return From A Leave. An employee who returns from a leave of absence without pay to a position within the same pay level shall be returned to the same pay grade that he/she was in before going on leave. When a general pay increase occurs while the employee is on leave, his/her pay upon reinstatement will be increased by such general increase. An employee who returns from a leave and is reinstated in a pay grade different from the grade he/she held before going on leave shall have a pay rate established at the time of his/her reinstatement.

  12. Accrued Sick and Vacation Time. An employee granted a leave of absence without pay under this Article shall retain all accumulated sick leave and vacation leave accrued as of the date of the leave while on such leave.

    An employee does not accumulate sick or vacation leave while on a leave of absence without pay.

  13. Benefits While on Leave of Absence Without Pay. The University will not bear the cost of continuation of benefits for a bargaining unit employee on an unpaid leave of absence. An employee who takes an approved leave of absence without pay shall contact the Benefits Office prior to the beginning of the leave to arrange for applicable continuation of coverage. Such continuation is subject to the provisions and limitations of the group benefits policies. In no event shall benefits continuation exceed one (1) year from the commencement of the initial leave of absence, except where mandated by applicable federal and/or state law. Upon return from the leave of absence, the employee shall contact the Benefits Office to re-enroll for benefits coverages. Benefits coverages are not automatically reinstated upon return from leave.

  14. Medical Dispute. In the event of a dispute involving any employee's physical ability to perform his/her job or his/her fitness to return to work at the University and the employee is not satisfied with the determination of the physician or physicians designated by the University, he/she may submit a report from a physician of his/her own choosing and at his/her own expense. If the dispute still exists, at the request of the Association, the University through its designated physician and the employee's physician shall agree upon a third physician to submit a report to the University and the employee, and the decision of such third physician will be binding on both parties. The expense of the third physician shall be shared equally by the University and the employee.

  15. Leave for Non-Covered Position: The Association and the Employer may, but are not required, to agree on circumstances under which persons who leave the bargaining unit covered by this Agreement, but remain in the employ of the Employer in some other capacity, may retain seniority rights upon their return to their original bargaining unit. This provision shall apply for one (1) reentry to the employee.

  16. Staff Recognition Programs. Employees in the bargaining unit are eligible to participate in the following staff programs:

    1. Staff Recognition Awards
    2. Employee Excellence Awards
    3. Wellness Program
    4. GM Incentive Program
    5. Ford Incentive Program

    The University reserves the right to determine and administer this benefit. For this benefit one day equals eight (8) hours, prorated for part-time employees.

  17. If the University institutes a paid time-off during the Christmas season or for Martin Luther King, bargaining unit employees will be included. The University reserves the right to determine and administer this benefit. For this benefit one day equals eight (8) hours, prorated for part-time employees.