CBA; Article 45 (section 6) Sick Leave Policies in Fire Rescue Operations
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Questions and Answers

What is the primary intention behind the comprehensive approach to sick leave usage?

  • To minimize sick leave use to only bona fide circumstances (correct)
  • To increase the amount of sick leave available to employees
  • To establish mandatory sick leave days for all employees
  • To provide financial incentives for taking sick leave

    • What happens to an employee's reserve vacation bank if their annual allotment of sick leave is reduced?

  • The reserve bank is doubled to compensate for the reduction
  • They can keep their reserve bank until it matches the new allotment (correct)
  • Their reserve bank is converted to sick leave hours automatically
  • They lose all hours in the reserve vacation bank

    • Which statement accurately describes sick leave use according to the agreement?

  • Employees are encouraged to take sick leave whenever they feel unwell
  • Sick leave should be used liberally by employees
  • Dependability in attendance is emphasized for Fire Rescue employees (correct)
  • Sick leave has no impact on the operation of Fire Rescue

    • What is the total sick leave allotted to each permanent 24-hour shift employee each year after November 1?

    <p>120 hours</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What condition must be met for a deceased Fire-Rescue employee's Reserve Vacation Bank hours to be payable?

    <p>The death must occur while the employee is on-duty or meet specific statutory conditions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which approach is NOT mentioned as part of the strategy to minimize sick leave usage?

    <p>Mandatory sick leave policies</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the maximum limit for an employee’s reserve vacation bank based on sick leave hours?

    <p>The reserve bank cannot exceed annual sick leave accrual</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What implication does excessive sick leave have on Fire Rescue operations?

    <p>It reduces the safety of other employees</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the annual sick leave allotment for employees after November 2026?

    <p>105 hours</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How many hours of sick leave are allotted to employees on a forty-hour work schedule?

    <p>100 hours</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What percentage of current salary do Special Risk employees receive during the first three months of extended leave?

    <p>85%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the maximum number of months that Special Risk employees can be on extended leave?

    <p>18 months</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When can employees who return from extended leave and are not on duty begin a new extended leave?

    <p>After six months</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to an employee on a leave of absence without pay regarding sick leave allotment?

    <p>It is adjusted to a prorated number of hours</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the sick leave compensation after three months and up to twelve months for Special Risk employees?

    <p>65%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How many hours of sick leave must an employee on extended leave at the time of a new allotment use?

    <p>48 hours</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What percentage of their salary do employees receive after nine months of consecutive leave?

    <p>65%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the maximum sick leave compensation period for employees who are not Special Risk employees?

    <p>9 months</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens if an employee does not return to duty within 12 months of an illness or injury?

    <p>They shall not be awarded any sick leave compensation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Employees who require extended leave may also use which of the following to supplement their leave?

    <p>Reserve vacation or vacation time</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of using reserve vacation banks for short-term absences?

    <p>To supplement short-term absences only</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the consequence for an operational personnel after their 10th sick leave occurrence?

    <p>Twenty-four hour suspension</p> Signup and view all the answers

    At what occurrence does a Communication Center shift employee first lose their overtime privileges?

    <p>9th Occurrence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What defines an occurrence of sick leave?

    <p>Working less than half of the hours of the employee's normal shift</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which disincentive is assigned after the 8th sick leave occurrence for non-operational personnel?

    <p>Loss of bid assignment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is sick leave awarded to employees?

    <p>In hour for hour increments</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What action must employees take at least thirty minutes before their shift starts?

    <p>Log into the Department approved staffing program</p> Signup and view all the answers

    If an employee is too ill to work as determined by their supervisor, what can happen?

    <p>They may be sent home with pay</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the last disincentives that can occur for an operational personnel?

    <p>Twenty-four hour suspension</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What must an employee present to their supervisor upon returning to work after a sick leave?

    <p>A leave request form with an affidavit</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to unused sick leave after the cut-off date?

    <p>It is paid out as a bonus</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following disincentives is NOT a consequence of the 11th sick leave occurrence for Communication Center shift personnel?

    <p>Twenty-four hour suspension</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the effective period for calculating sick leave occurrences?

    <p>Continuous twelve month period</p> Signup and view all the answers

    To avoid losing their sick leave bonus, when must employees process their sick leave?

    <p>Before the cut-off date</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the requirement for an employee to receive extended leave due to illness or injury?

    <p>A written assessment from a physician indicating work restrictions lasting more than thirty days.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What percentage of pay is an employee entitled to during approved extended family care leave after using half of their sick allotment?

    <p>65%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT a reason for approving sick leave?

    <p>Volunteering directly related to medical treatment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When an employee is on extended leave, under what circumstance can the Fire Rescue Administration request a fitness for duty examination?

    <p>At any time while the employee is on extended leave.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to extended leave if an employee's work restrictions are removed?

    <p>The employee must return to work or accept light duty assignments.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following conditions allows an employee to take Baby Bonding leave at 100% of pay?

    <p>For the first six weeks after the child's birth.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What must an employee do to extend Baby Bonding leave beyond the initial allowance?

    <p>Request an additional three weeks in writing to the Fire Rescue Administrator.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Under what condition can an employee's extended leave be canceled?

    <p>Failing to provide updated work restriction assessments.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of leave is taken for medical, dental, or optical examinations?

    <p>Sick leave.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    For how long can an employee take approved sick leave when caring for a family member?

    <p>Up to three months.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the consequence if an employee misrepresents the conditions for extended leave?

    <p>The extended leave may be canceled and disciplinary action may be pursued.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the limitation on off-duty employment for employees on approved extended leave?

    <p>They are prohibited from engaging in off-duty employment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to unused sick leave for employees who leave Fire Rescue while in pay status?

    <p>They are paid out for unused sick leave on a pro-rata basis.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Sick Leave Use & Allotments

    • Sick leave use negatively impacts Fire Rescue operations, including workload, public service, and employee safety. Palm Beach County and Professional Firefighters/Paramedics aim to emphasize attendance dependability.
    • The article minimizes sick leave use to bona fide circumstances (Section D). This is achieved through both disincentives and incentives.
    • Reserved vacation time is banked separately from regular vacations, and not limited by accrual caps.

    Sick Leave Banks

    • Employees can bank unused sick leave into their reserve vacation bank (up to annual allotment).
    • Reserve vacation time banks are scheduled per Article 28, but are not payable upon separation.
    • Duty-related deaths result in payment of reserve vacation hours at the employee's current rate. Duty-related death must occur on-duty or meet Florida Statute Chapter 112 conditions.

    Sick Leave Allotments

    • Permanent 24-hour shift employees receive 120 hours sick leave annually (until 2026), then 112.5, then 105 hours.
    • Non-24-hour shift employees (40 and 42-hour schedules) receive 100 and 105 hours respectively.
    • Leave of absence without pay prorates sick leave allotments.
    • Sick leave usage is 100% of current salary.
    • Reserve vacation banks can supplement short-term absences (over 1 hour but within annual allotment amounts).
    • Main vacation accounts can supplement short-term absences only with the Fire Rescue Administrator's approval (final and not subject to grievance).
    • Extended leave is defined as consecutive sick leave days exceeding the annual allotment.

    Special Risk Employees

    • For Special Risk employees, compensation for leave exceeding annual allotment is 85% for the first 3 months, then 65% for the next 9 months.
    • Maximum extended leave for Special Risk employees is 18 months.

    Other Employees

    • For all other employees, compensation for extended leave exceeding annual allotment is 85% for the first 3 months, then 65% for the next 6 months.

    • The maximum extended leave is 9 months for all other employee classes.

    • All employees must work for 6 months after returning from extended leave before taking another extended leave.

    • A break in the continuity of sick leave status is required for extended leave occurrences within 6 months of returning to work.

    • New probationary employees are not eligible for extended leave compensation.

    • Unused sick leave (excluding reserve vacation bank) is payable on a pro-rata basis for departing employees.

    Extended Leave

    • Employees requesting extended leave must provide written assessments from their treating physician outlining work restrictions and duration.
    • Regular updates are required if restrictions are anticipated to last over 30 days.
    • Assessments are reviewed by the Fire Rescue Administrator, Fire Department Physician, or EAP coordinator.
    • Extended leave ends when work restrictions are removed and a return-to-work offer is made.
    • Fitness for duty exams may be required from a physician chosen by the department.
    • Misrepresentation of conditions may result in leave cancellation and disciplinary action.

    Approved Sick Leave Use

    • Sick leave is awarded on an hourly basis, for illnesses/injuries, exposure to contagious illnesses, prescribed medical treatment, immediate family member care (65% pay, max 6 months in 18), hospitalizations (65% pay, max 3 months in 15), medical, dental, or optical treatments, and baby bonding (100% pay for 6 weeks or 65% for 3 months; max 3 months).
    • Baby bonding leave does not count as extended leave.
    • High-risk pregnancy can result in extended leave, with baby bonding following.
    • Baby bonding leave can be extended in writing, up to 3 additional weeks (Fire Rescue Administrator approval only).

    Disincentives for Excessive Sick Leave

    • Operational personnel with 5+ sick leave occurrences face disincentives, culminating in a 24-hour suspension for the 10th occurrence.
    • Communication Center personnel with 8+ occurrences face disincentives (24-hour suspension at 13th occurrence).
    • Non-Operational personnel with 10+ occurrences face disincentives (24-hour suspension at 15th occurrence).
    • Disincentives remain until the offending occurrence expires (unless otherwise stated).
    • Any absence (except FMLA) counts as an occurrence.

    Incentives

    • Employees receive a bonus of remaining sick leave on November 1st pay.
    • Sick leave occurrences prior to the cutoff date are deducted from the following year’s allotment.
    • Employees can choose to allocate their sick leave bonus to their reserve bank.

    Sick Leave Procedure

    • Employees must notify the department 30 minutes prior to shift start (exception for communication division; 90-minutes).
    • Sick leave is awarded in 15-minute increments.
    • Employees can return to work once during a shift, after notifying the Fire Operations Officer.
    • Supervisors can send employees home if deemed unwell.
    • Employees are responsible for submitting an electronic leave request form and an affidavit upon returning to work.
    • Unsuitable sick leave requests may lead to denial and disciplinary action.

    Sick Leave Board

    • The Wellness Steering Committee acts as the Fire Rescue Sick Leave Board, monitoring sick leave trends and patterns.

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    Description

    This quiz explores the sick leave policies specific to Fire Rescue operations, focusing on their impacts on workload, public service, and employee safety. It also covers sick leave banks and allotments, detailing how employees can manage and utilize their sick leave effectively.

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