Proposed Revisions & Consolidation of Staff Leave Policies

To: UCSC Staff Employees and Senior Management Group

From: Charlotte Moreno, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Staff Human Resources; Pamela Peterson, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Academic Personnel/Senior Management Group Coordinator

As part of the University's ongoing commitment to providing quality benefits, UC is undertaking a review of Personnel Policies for Staff Members (PPSM) to provide options that will assist employees in addressing their work-life needs.

The proposed policy revises seven current policies related to leaves PPSM 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 and consolidates them into a single, comprehensive policy called Absence from Work. It includes a number of enhancements intended to be responsive to employee work and life needs by providing increased flexibility in the use of accrued leave.

Highlights are noted below:

. Allowing an employee to use up to 30 days of accrued sick leave to care for and bond with a newborn, adopted, or foster-care child.

. Increasing the amount of sick leave an employee may use during a family and medical leave on behalf of a spouse, domestic partner, child, or parent from 30 days to a 12-week period.

. Increasing the period of time from 15 days to 90 days for reinstatement of all sick leave when an employee is reemployed after a separation.

. Increasing the amount of sick leave that an employee may use in the event of the death of a family or household member from 5 to 10 days.

. Allowing an employee to use accrued sick leave to donate bone marrow (up to 5 days) or organs for transplant (up to 30 days).

. The inclusion of newly enacted Military Caregiver Leave and Qualifying Exigency Leave.

. The inclusion of language to clarify that an employee whose appointment is reduced below 50% will no longer accrue vacation leave.

. The inclusion of a new section containing a variety of leaves under California Law that are offered to accommodate life event circumstances.

The proposed Absence from Work Policy and a summary of all proposed changes are posted at: http://atyourservice.ucop.edu/employees/policies_employee_labor_relations/proposed_policies/prop_staff_policies.html

The University invites your comments on the proposed revisions and consolidation of Staff Leave Policies. We would appreciate receiving comments by March 5, 2010.

Staff employees who wish to comment on the proposed revisions and procedures may provide their comments to Cathy Schoenfeld at pafc@ucsc.edu.

Senior Management Group employees who wish to comment on the proposed revisions and procedures may provide their comments to josephcj@ucsc.edu.