Sick leave

[nnuut]

Re: ebbnflow's Account Talk

I'm not sure if it's all of DOT or just the FAA, but we can donate sl to people in the leave share program. I believe that you can donate as much as you want as long as you keep a balance of 80 hours.

I looked up the FAA policy on donation of SL! Looks like it is the same is all the Govt. Service?:worried:

Sick Leave

Federal employees earn 104 hours (13 days) of sick leave each year, and there is no limit on the amount of sick leave they can accumulate throughout their Federal career. Sick leave may be used for physical or mental illness, injury, pregnancy or childbirth, or medical, dental, or optical examination and treatment. Sick leave may also be used for purposes related to the adoption of child. Additionally, employees may use up to 13 days of sick leave each year to care for a family member or to arrange for or attend the funeral of a family member.
Federal Employees' Family Friendly Leave Act (FEFFLA)

Provides that Federal employees may use up to 12 weeks of sick leave each year to care for a family with a serious health condition.
The Family & Medical Leave Act

Provides Federal employees with a total of 12 administrative workweeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for (a) the birth of a son or daughter and care of the newborn; (b) the placement of a son or daughter with the employee for adoption or foster care; (c) the care of a spouse, son, daughter, or parent with a serious health condition; or (d) a serious health condition of the employee that makes the employee unable to perform the duties of his or her position. Employees retain their health benefits coverage during the entire period they are on family and medical leave.
The Federal Leave Sharing Program

Includes a leave transfer program. The leave transfer program allows Federal employees to donate annual leave to other Federal employees who have medical emergencies and who have exhausted their own paid leave.
http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org...xec_opportunities/benefits/index.cfm?print=go

 

[Show-me]

Discuss sick leave here.

 

[Show-me]

All right now, I think everything sick leave is moved out of Ebb's account talk. Thanks for the discussion.

 

[nnuut]

I'm CSRS and feel that the government really laid one on the FERS folks, now they are sticking the NSPS CRAP down our throats. All of this is with the predetermined desire, to reduce the cost of the retirement of government employees. The sick leave thing is just a small part of their ultimate goal!! Yes this is a sick leave topic and I feel like using about a weeks worth right now! All I have to say is, 2 years 2 Months and 25 days!:nuts:

 

[Show-me]

You watch nnuut, some day they will do away with FERS too. All we will have is TSP.

 

[nnuut]

Right on!! If I were to list all that they have taken away from Government employees sense I have been employed by the DOD it would be obvious what's happening.:nuts: They can kiss my butt, and that's sad, I have always been an excellent employee. Always thought I was doing a service for my COUNTRY and proud of it, now look how are we rewarded? Who would have thunk it!!!:worried:

 

[JOVARN]

VA has it where Nurses can put their SL toward their retirement
AL is cashed out upon retirement dollar and they can carry 750 plus may be 780 hrs on the books. I am using my AL for my retirement poontoon boat

 

[nnuut]

DOD can only carry over 240 LA + the last years leave which is 208 that = 448, must be a Union thing? You ever go a year without taking any Annual leave?:worried:

 

[Sunnyskies]

My DH (FERS) used only 4 days of SL in 21 years of service. He became fully disabled due to a work injury -- spinal cord injury. The brand new manager he had at the time tried to get him fired for SL abuse while we were waiting for the doctors to determine the extent of his injury. She went so far as to have a wheelchair delivered to the office and wanted him to come sit at his desk! While DH was in the hospital recovering from spinal surgery I called the head of personnel and asked him if this is how they treat people who saved their SL and then had a serious injury? I wasn't very nice and he knew he needed to get the manager in line. Ultimately, we had to give a doctor's excuse/update every payday. His doctors couldn't believe it, but were very cooperative.

DH was able to remain on the payroll for 18 months with his sick leave. As it was coming to the end, personnel notified us he would be let go when his SL ran out. Ultimately, the head of personnel recognized this as a worker's comp issue and helped us file. He even wrote to DOL and took the blame that we weren't able to file in time because management hadn't properly filed the required reports. We got the full benefit of his SL, and were mighty glad he had it.

 

[nnuut]

That is a really sad story. How can a manager treat another employee that way?
Save all the sick leave you can, it's like an insurance policy, but if you are sick ---TAKE IT!!!

 

[Show-me]

VA has it where Nurses can put their SL toward their retirement
AL is cashed out upon retirement dollar and they can carry 750 plus may be 780 hrs on the books. I am using my AL for my retirement poontoon boat

That is sweet! I wish our contract has that one. We can bank 440 at the USPS. I have 4 week of A/L coming in Nov. and Dec. and I will roll close to the 440 over next year.

 

[Show-me]

It is amazing how some would rather hurt a employee instead of help.

 

[charmed855]

A retiring employee just got done taking 8 months of sick leave. 2+2 months off for each of his mothers knee replacement surgeries then 2+2 more for each of his own foot operations (removed corns or something). He took that time to flip three houses which he's using to augment his retirement income. He has 45 years of government service and I don't blame him for using the system to his advantage. On the other side of things, I've had some people that burn sick leave as quickly as they earn it - not very dependable.

 

[Show-me]

That is right charmed, get yourself fixed before you retire. Physicals, colonoscopy, hearing , eyes, knees, and hip. Fix it all before you get off of the active rolls. Use your benefits and live well.

 

[SkyPilot]

On the other side of things, I've had some people that burn sick leave as quickly as they earn it - not very dependable.

It's their's to burn... OPM could fix that if they wanted to, and modify the policies so that people could use s/l as well days like much of private industry... but I don't think they really want it fixed.

We just had a ret. HRM who contracts with BOP to provide retirement seminars. He spoke of several other agengies that were actually asking employees to schedule sick leave so as to burn off excess before they were retired. His advice to us was use it in every creative way possible.

And, I fully expect there to be a FERSlight for the next generation of Fed employees.

 

[Show-me]

My experience with the private sector is that they don't care if you use your s/l. I hear my family talk about it all the time and when I was in private sector I did the same thing. Private sector must have accepted that it is a benefit that people will use.

Each s/l call is a "occurrence" and anything over 3 days need documentation. We have a automated call in and I always call in for a minimum of 24 hours and you HAVE to get a conformation number or some management will try to burn you by saying you did not call in at all or AWOL.

My reason is simple. If I call in sick for one day, 8 hrs, and I'm sick the next day too. Then I have to call in again and get another conformation number. Now the is two "occurrences" and if I am sick the third day, I have to call in yet again and get a third conformation number. Now you have three "occurrences" over three day and a week later your sick again and now local management will get a message from a bean counter telling them to give you a official discussion about time and attendance. lol

Call in for 3 days and if you feel better before the end of the three days go to work ........................or not. Alway be well rested before you return to work, even though you think your feeling better. You would not want to get your co-worker sick. :nuts:

 

[Boxholder]

The local postmaster at my wife's office felt like one of his employees was taking unfair advantage of sick leave, so now he has a policy that any employee that uses sick leave must have documentation for that day before coming back to work. That has made it rough on those employees like my wife who rarely use sick leave. There are lot's of times when an employee may get a cold and doesn't feel well enough to go to work, but also doesn't feel bad enough to go to the doctor, having to sit in a doctors office for hours without an appointment. The local rural carrier union says that the postmaster has the right to enforce that policy if he chooses to. Just doesn't seem right!

 

[SkyPilot]

The local postmaster at my wife's office felt like one of his employees was taking unfair advantage of sick leave, so now he has a policy that any employee that uses sick leave must have documentation for that day before coming back to work. That has made it rough on those employees like my wife who rarely use sick leave. There are lot's of times when an employee may get a cold and doesn't feel well enough to go to work, but also doesn't feel bad enough to go to the doctor, having to sit in a doctors office for hours without an appointment. The local rural carrier union says that the postmaster has the right to enforce that policy if he chooses to. Just doesn't seem right!

Maybe she should bypass the local union and have a conversation with some one higher up. I can't believe that at some level the union would not want to challenge this, if nothing else to avoid establishing a "past practice"... Usually a local manager cannot compose and implement policy of this nature without it going to negotiations.. also, sometimes local reps can have their own agendas (not always in the best interest of the bargaining unit).

 

[Show-me]

Boxholder,

NRLCA contract and APWU contract are the same in this area and we both are governed by the ELM.

Your postmaster can not require documentation for a absence of 3 days or less unless: that person is on restricted sick leave and has had a quarterly time and attendance review prior to that and a official discussion prior to that.

APWU national hq just sent a letter to USPS HR to clarify this and USPS HQ was in agreement. That does not mean that local management will comply. It does mean you wife has a good grievance and this is how you set it up.

First you can not be on restricted s/l, that is the only case that I am aware of that you HAVE to provide documentation every time you call in. Second you need a steward that will go the extra mile.

When and if you call in sick and the automated system does NOT ask you for documentation, you do NOT provide it. When you get to work and they ask for documentation you make a appointment with you family doctor and explain the situation. You keep track of your time, mileage, and the doctors complete bill including what the insurance paid. You MUST provide the documentation if ordered to get it.

Then you file your grievance that you are improperly required to provide documentation for s/l and you have never had a discussion and you are not on restricted s/l. Your remedy is that you be compensated for you time, mileage, and the full doctors bill.

I know it is a pain in the ass, but that is why they get away with it. They won't like paying that one and will not do it to YOU again.

Here is a small clip of the letter from out National Union.

Naturally, whether local management is improperly requiring medical documentation for 3 days or less is based as local fact circumstances. However, pursuant to the correspondences (APWU-August 27th and USPS-September 10th Letters)there is no disagreement between the parties at the national level to the conditions under which an employee may or may not be required to submit medical documentation for absences of 3 days or less. On those occasions when local management improperly required an employee to submit medical evidence for 3 days or less, the correspondences in question should be used in support of the union's position.

Here is a link to the APWU site that explains the letters.

USPS Responds to Inquiry Regarding Medical Evidence for Absences of Three Days or Less
(09/19/07) The APWU received a response to a letter sent to the Postal Service seeking to determine if there is a disagreement between the parties at the national level regarding the conditions under which an employee may be required to submit medical documentation or other acceptable evidence for periods of absence of three days or less. The union clearly laid out our position and asked the Postal Service if they disagreed. Their response was that "there is no dispute or disagreement regarding the conditions under which an employee may be required to submit medical documentation or other acceptable evidence for periods of 3 days or less." Further, they write, "the eRMS application does not change Postal Service policy concerning medical documentation for absences when employees call in sick."

http://www.apwu.org/dept/ind-rel/index.htm

 

[Show-me]

Maybe she should bypass the local union and have a conversation with some one higher up. I can't believe that at some level the union would not want to challenge this, if nothing else to avoid establishing a "past practice"... Usually a local manager cannot compose and implement policy of this nature without it going to negotiations.. also, sometimes local reps can have their own agendas (not always in the best interest of the bargaining unit).

:blink: Stranger things have happened.