ARTICLE 16
ADMINISTRATION OF LEAVE

Section 1 - General:
Employees shall be eligible to use leave in accordance with the personnel rules and regulations. Any request for a leave of absence shall be submitted in writing by the employee to his/her immediate supervisor. The request shall state the length of time off the employee desires, the type of leave requested and the reason for the request. An excused absence is an absence from duty without loss of pay and without charge to leave when such absence is authorized by statute or administrative discretion.

Section 2 - Annual Leave:

A.   Normal Requests for Leave: A request for a short leave of absence, not to exceed three days, shall be requested in writing on the proper form and answered before the end of the work shift in which the request is submitted. A request for a leave of absence between four to seven days must be submitted live (5) calendar days in advance and answered within live days, except for scheduled vacations, as provided for in Section 2 of this Article. If the request is disapproved, the supervisor shall return the SF-71 with reasons for the disapproval indicated. Requests for annual leave shall not be unreasonably denied.

B.   Emergency Requests: Any employee’s request for immediate leave due to family death or sickness shall be granted or denied immediately.

C.   Carryover: Annual leave, which is not used, may be accumulated from year to year. In general, the maximum allowable leave is thirty (30) days, unless the employee had a greater amount of allowable leave at the beginning of the leave year. Employees shall receive a lump sum leave payment for all accrued annual leave not used at the time of retirement, resignation or other separation from the employer, consistent with the negotiated Compensation Agreement.

 D.   Vacation Schedules: Every effort will be made to grant employees leave during the time requested. If the operations would suffer by scheduling all requests during a given period of time, a schedule will be worked out with all conflicts to be resolved by the application of seniority. After vacations are posted, no changes shall be made unless mutually agreeable or an emergency arises. Employees will be encouraged to schedule vacations through the year.

Section 3 - Sick Leave:

A.     Requests:

1. Supervisors shall approve sick leave of employees incapacitated from the performance of their duties. Employees shall request sick leave as far in advance as possible prior to the start of their regular tour of duty on the first day of absence.

2. Sick leave shall be requested and approved in advance for visits to and/or appointments with doctor’s dentists, practitioners, opticians, and chiropractors for the purpose of securing diagnostic examinations, treatments and x-rays.

3. Employees shall not be required to furnish a doctor’s certificate to substantiate requests for approval of sick leave unless such sick leave exceeds three work days continuous duration. However, if Management has given written notice to an employee that there is a good reason to believe that the employee has abused sick leave privileges, then the employee must furnish a doctor’s certificate for each absence from work, which is claimed as sick leave regardless of its duration. The Union will encourage employees to conserve sick leave for use during periods of extended illness.

4. Advance sick leave requests will be given prompt consideration by the Employer consistent with Section 3(b) of this Article when the following provisions are met:

(a) The request must be submitted in writing and must be supported by acceptable medical certificates.

(b) All available accumulated sick leave to the employee’s credit must be exhausted. The employee must use annual leave he/she might otherwise forfeit.

(c) In the case of employees serving under temporary appointments, or under probationary or trial periods, advance sick leave should not exceed an amount which is reasonably assured will be subsequently earned during such period.

(d) The amount of sick leave advanced to an employee’s account will not exceed 240 hours at any time. Where it is known that the employee is to be separated, the total sick leave advanced may not exceed an amount which can be liquidated by subsequent accrual prior to the separation.

(e) There must be a reasonable assurance that the employee will return to duty.

B.   Advance Sick Leave: Advance sick leave may be granted to permanent or probationary employees in amounts not to exceed 240 hours. Furthermore, an employee may not be indebted for more than 240 hours of sick leave at any one time. Sick leave may be advanced to employees holding a limited appointment or one expiring on a specific date, but not in excess of the total sick leave that would accrue during the remaining period of such appointment. In either case the employee request must be supported by a statement from his/her physician attesting that the employee has a serious disability or ailment and is incapacitated for duty and stating the period of .time expected to be involved. The request should be denied only if the requirements of Section 3 (a) and (b) are not met or there is a reason to believe that the employee will not return to duty or that he/she has abused the sick leave privilege in the past.

All accrued and accumulated sick leave must be exhausted before the advance sick leave is credited. Accrued and accumulated annual leave may remain standing to the credit of employees. The Employer will use its best efforts to answer an employee’s request for advanced sick leave within fifteen (15) working days. However, an employee is responsible for applying advance sick leave in writing as far in advance as possible. If the request is denied, the reasons for such denial shall be given in writing. Further, the employee will be given consideration for LWOP consistent with the provisions of personnel rules and regulations.

Section 4 - Other Paid Leave:

A.   Military Leave: Full-time employees are entitled to leave as reserve members of the armed forces or as members of the National Guard to the extent provided in D.C. Official Code Section 1-612.03(m) and applicable rules and regulations and the Compensation Units 1 & 2 Agreement, which provide in part the following:

Members of the D.C. National Guard are entitled to unlimited military leave without loss of pay for any parade or encampment with the D.C. National Guard when ordered by the Commanding General, excluding weekly drills and meetings.

Additional military leave with pay will be granted to full-time employees who are members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces or the National Guard for the purpose of providing military aid to enforce the law for a period not to exceed 22 workdays per calendar year.

B.   Court Leave: Employees shall be granted leave of absence with pay anytime they are required to report for jury duty or to appear as a witness on behalf of the District of Columbia Government, or the Federal or a State or Local Government, in accordance with personnel rules and regulations.

C.   Voting Leave: Where the polls are not open at least three hours either before or after an employee’s regular hours of work, he/she may, upon request, be granted an amount of excused time which will permit him/her to report to work three hours after the polls open or leave work three hours before the polls close, whichever requires the lesser amount of time off. Leave for voting will be allowed in accordance with the personnel rules and regulations.

D.   Funeral Leave: Funeral leave shall be granted in accordance with the Compensation Units I & 2 Agreement.

E.   Civic Duty: Upon advance request and adequate justification employees required to appear before a court or other public body on public business in which they are not personally involved shall be granted leave of absence with pay unless paid leave is prohibited by Federal or District Regulations or Statutes.

F.   Examinations: Employees shall be excused without charge to leave in accordance with personnel rules and regulations for the purpose of taking an employment medical examination and examination for induction or enlistment in the active Armed Forces, a District Government owned vehicle operator examination, a civil service examination or other examination which his/her - — -department has requested him/her to- take in order to qualify for reassignment, promotion,- or continuance of his/her present job, but not for the reserve Armed Forces. An employee shall also be excused without charge to leave for the purpose of taking an examination whenever, in the judgment of the Department or agency head, the District Government will benefit thereby. Absence from duty in order to take an examination primarily for the employee’s own benefit and not connected to the District Government must be requested in accordance with the general leave provisions.

 Section 5 - Leave Without Pay:

A.   General: Leave of absence without pay for a limited period may be granted at the supervisor’s discretion for a reasonable purpose if requested in advance in writing.

B.   Union: Employees elected to any Union office or selected by the Union to do work which takes them from their employment with the Employer shall at the written request of the employee and the Union be granted a leave of absence without pay; provided the written request states the purpose and duration of the absence, and is submitted thirty (30) calendar days in advance of the commencement of the desired period of absence. If the Employer indicates that the requested leave will unduly hamper its operations, it may offer an alternative for consideration by the Union.

The initial leave of absence shall not exceed one (1) year. Leaves of absence for Union officials may be extended for similar periods. No more than one employee from a bargaining unit shall be on such extended leave at the same time.

C.   Parenthood Leave: Maternity leave before and following childbirth shall be granted at the request of the employee. The employee is obligated to advise her supervisor substantially in advance of the anticipated leave date. This period of absence shall be determined by the employee, her physician and her supervisor. Maternity leave is chargeable to sick leave or any combination of sick leave, annual leave, or leave without pay. Paternity leave may be granted for a period of up to two (2) weeks following childbirth, and may be extended at the supervisor’s discretion. Such leave shall be a combination of annual leave or leave without pay.

Leave may be granted for a period of up to two (2) weeks to an employee who is adopting a child, with extensions made at the discretion of the supervisor. Such leave shall be a combination of annual leave or leave without pay.

D.   Union Officer Leave: Attendance at Union sponsored programs may be approved annual leave or leave without pay in accordance with normal leave practices unless Administrative Leave has been approved.

E.   Educational Leave: After completing one (1) year of service an employee upon request may be granted a leave of absence for educational purposes provided that successful completion of the course will contribute to the work of the Department. The period of leave of absence may not exceed one (1) year, but may be extended at the discretion of the Employer. If an employee is returning from educational leave during which he/she has acquired the qualification of a higher rated position he/she shall not have lost-any of his/her rights in being evaluated for the higher graded position.