Chapter 2.32
VACATIONS, HOLIDAYS AND SICK LEAVE
Sections:
2.32.010 Holidays.
A. Each nonrepresented, regular full-time employee shall be entitled to eight hours’ salary on each of the following days which are declared to be official holidays. Full-time employees working approved alternate shifts shall receive the equivalent salary based on the average hours they work. Regular part-time employees shall be entitled to a pro-rata share of holiday pay when the employee’s regular schedule falls on an official holiday:
1. New Year’s Day (first day of January);
2. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday (third Monday in January);
3. Presidents’ Day (third Monday in February);
4. Memorial Day (last Monday in May);
5. Juneteenth (June 19th);
6. Independence Day;
7. Labor Day;
8. Veterans Day;
9. Thanksgiving Day;
10. Friday following Thanksgiving Day;
11. Christmas Eve Day;
12. Christmas Day; and
13. Two floating holidays.
B. Any declared holiday falling on Sunday shall be observed the following Monday. Any holiday falling on Saturday shall be observed on the preceding Friday.
C. Any day in addition to the days listed in subsection A of this section may be designated as a holiday by the city council.
D. Each nonrepresented employee shall be given time off with full pay on one other day for each holiday worked. Such time off shall be taken in a manner that does not disrupt the efficient and orderly operations of the city, in the sole discretion of the employee’s supervisor. Time off in lieu of holidays shall be used in the same calendar year as the holidays worked, and shall not roll over from year to year.
E. Employees shall receive the holiday with pay only if the employee is in a paid status the day before and the full work day after the holiday; provided, however, that if the employee is not in a paid status before or after the holiday due to a furlough or because of a previously approved leave of absence without pay where holiday pay was authorized as part of the leave approval, then the holiday shall be with pay.
F. Floating Holidays. Existing employees shall be eligible for two floating holidays beginning January 1st each year. New employees hired prior to July 1st shall be eligible for the two floating holidays in the year they are hired. New employees hired on or after July 1st and prior to December 1st shall receive one floating holiday in the year they are hired. The employee shall request use of floating holidays at least 10 days in advance. All requests shall be made prior to December 1st of each year. Permission to use floating holidays shall not be unreasonably withheld. No unused floating holiday may be carried forward to the next year. The assistant police chief shall have additional floating holidays annually pursuant to guild agreement.
G. Unpaid Holidays. Regular full-time and part-time employees are entitled to up to two unpaid holidays per calendar year for a reason of faith or conscience or an organized activity conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or religious organization. The employee may select the days on which the employee desires to take the two unpaid holidays after consultation with the supervisor. A minimum of 14 calendar days’ advance notice is required and the city may deny the request if it imposes an undue hardship on the city or is necessary to maintain public safety. (Ord. 1709 § 6, 2023; Ord. 1693 § 1, 2023; Ord. 1667 § 1, 2021; Ord. 1647 § 1, 2021; Ord. 1482 § 1, 2014; Ord. 1328 § 1, 2009; Ord. 1214 § 1, 2006; Ord. 950 § 1, 2002; Ord. 678 § 1, 1993).
2.32.020 Annual vacation.
A. Each regular full-time employee shall accrue the following amount of vacation leave during continuous service with the city of Bonney Lake as follows (a day shall equal eight hours):
1st year – 12 days;
2nd year – 13 days;
3rd year – 14 days;
4th year – 15 days;
5th year – 16 days;
6th year – 17 days;
7th year – 18 days;
8th year – 19 days;
9th year – 20 days;
10th year – 21 days;
11th year – 22 days.
B. Day labor, temporary part-time and temporary employees shall not accrue vacation leave. Regular part-time employees shall accrue vacation time on a pro-rata basis. New hire probationary employees may not use vacation leave until the probationary period is satisfied.
C. Only those days on which the employee would normally be required to work shall be counted in computing the vacation period to which the employee is entitled.
D. When a paid holiday falls on a vacation day, the employee shall be entitled to an additional vacation day.
E. Vacation shall be taken by an employee upon approval by the department head; provided, that an employee must be allowed to take vacation leave which would otherwise be invalidated by virtue of an involuntary accumulation beyond the maximum.
F. Accumulated vacation time shall not exceed 30 working days at December 31st of each year. Any vacation time voluntarily accumulated in excess of 30 days shall be forfeited on December 31st of each year.
G. Each employee whose service is terminated shall be compensated for any accumulated vacation prior to the effective date of termination at the straight time rate of pay. (Ord. 1693 § 2, 2023; Ord. 1214 § 2, 2006; Ord. 678 § 2, 1993).
2.32.030 Sick leave.
A. Regular full-time employees shall accrue the following amount of sick leave at the rate of eight hours for each calendar month of employment to a maximum of 720 hours. Regular part-time employees shall accrue a pro-rata share of sick leave for each calendar month of service up to a maximum of 360 hours.
B. Day labor, temporary part-time or temporary employees shall not accrue sick leave.
C. Payoff shall be based on an accumulation of unused sick leave to a maximum of 720 hours. Employees shall be compensated at their regular base rate of pay in effect when permanently separated from employment in accordance with the following schedule:
1. Resignation or layoff (five years’ service minimum): 25 percent;
2. Disability, death or retirement: 100 percent.
D. An employee eligible for sick leave with pay shall be granted such leave for the following reasons:
1. Personal illness or physical incapacity resulting from cause beyond employee’s control;
2. Forced quarantine of the employee in accordance with community health requirements;
3. The illness of a member of the employee’s immediate family which shall include spouse or spouse equivalent, child or other dependent or parent of the employee, the length of time of leave to be determined by the department head.
E. An employee on sick leave shall inform the department head, in writing, of the fact and the reason therefor as soon as possible, and shall complete a sick leave report upon return to work.
F. When the sick leave continues for three or more working days, the department head may require the employee to file a physician’s certificate with the department head stating the cause of the absence and the nature of the illness.
G. Any failure to give notice, file a physician’s certificate upon request, or complete a sick leave report as required in this section may be cause for denial of such leave with pay for the period of absence.
H. An employee receiving sick leave with pay who simultaneously receives compensation under the Workmen’s Compensation Law, or other insurance plan paid for by the city, shall receive for the duration of such compensation only the portion of regular salary which, together with said compensation, will equal regular salary, except this provision shall not apply to compensation received for benefits other than salary compensation. (Ord. 1709 § 6, 2023; Ord. 1214 § 3, 2006; Ord. 678 § 3, 1993).
2.32.040 Bereavement leave.
At the request of the employee, up to three days’ bereavement leave with pay shall be granted to the employee upon the death of a member of the employee’s immediate family. This shall include: spouse or spouse equivalent, parent, current parent-in-law, sibling, child, stepchild, stepparent, legally adopted child or grandparent of the employee and live-in dependent, or someone who has an expectation to rely on the employee for care, whether living together or not. (Ord. 1709 § 6, 2023; Ord. 1693 § 3, 2023; Ord. 1434 § 1, 2012; Ord. 1378 § 4, 2011; Ord. 678 § 4, 1993).
2.32.050 Family leave.
A. The employer shall comply with the state and federal Family Leave Acts as presently set forth or hereafter amended. (Ord. 678 § 5, 1993).
2.32.060 Shared leave.
A. Intent. The purpose of shared leave is to permit city employees, at no additional employee cost to the city other than the administrative costs of administering the program, to come to the aid of a fellow city employee who is suffering from or has an immediate family member suffering from an extraordinary or severe illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition which has caused or is likely to cause the employee to take leave without pay or to terminate his or her employment.
B. A department director, with the approval of the mayor, may permit an employee to receive shared leave under this section if:
1. The employee suffers, or has an immediate family member suffering from, an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition which is of an extraordinary or severe nature and which has caused, or is likely to cause, the employee to go on leave without pay status or to terminate his or her employment with the city.
2. The employee has depleted or will shortly deplete his or her total accrued vacation, sick leave, compensatory time, holiday time, and/or paid leave.
3. Prior to the use of shared leave, the employee has abided by the city’s sick leave policy.
4. The employee has diligently pursued and is found to be ineligible for state industrial insurance benefits.
5. The use of shared leave will not significantly increase the city’s costs, except for those costs which would otherwise be incurred in the administration of this program or which would otherwise be incurred by the employee’s department.
C. The department director and HR manager, with the approval of the mayor or designee, shall determine that amount of shared leave, if any, which an employee may receive under this section. The employee shall be required to provide appropriate medical justification and documentation both of the necessity for the leave and the time which the employee can reasonably be expected to be absent due to the condition. An employee shall not receive more than a total of nine months accrued leave, based upon monthly earned vacation, of shared leave throughout the employee’s employment. To the extent possible, shared leave should be used on a consecutive basis.
D. Employees may request their department director to approve the transfer of a specified amount of accrued vacation or sick leave to an employee who is authorized to receive shared leave as provided herein. In order to be eligible to donate vacation leave, an employee must have a total of more than 10 days of accrued vacation leave, have taken at least 10 days of vacation leave within the calendar year or have a total of accrued and used vacation leave of greater than 10 days for the calendar year. In order to be eligible to donate sick leave, an employee must have a total of more than 30 days of accrued sick leave. Transfers shall be in increments of one day of leave. In no event shall a transfer of leave be approved which would result in an employee reducing his or her total vacation leave in a calendar year to less than 10 days or which would result in an employee reducing his or her total remaining sick leave to less than 30 days. The department director shall not transfer leave in excess of the amount specified in the request. All donations of leave shall be voluntary and include no donations as a result of duress. The department director shall determine that no significant increase in city costs will occur as a result of a donation of leave.
E. Leave may be transferred from employee(s) from one department to an employee of the same department, or, with the concurrence of both department directors, to an employee of another department.
F. While an employee is on shared leave, they will continue to be classified as a city employee and shall receive the same treatment, in respect to salary and benefits, as the employee would otherwise receive if using vacation leave.
1. All salary benefit payments made to the employee on a shared leave shall be made by the department employing the person using the shared leave.
2. The employee’s salary rate shall not change as a result of being on shared leave nor, under any circumstances, shall the total of the employee’s salary and other benefits, including but not limited to state industrial insurance or any other benefit received as a result of payment by the city to an insurer, health care provider, or pension system, exceed the total of salary and benefits which the employee would have received had they been in a regular pay status.
G. Leave shall be transferred on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The value of the leave shall be determined at the current hourly wage of the transferor and the leave available to the receiving employee shall be calculated at the receiving employee’s wage.
H. The finance department shall be responsible for computing the values of donated leave and shared leave, and shall also be responsible for adjusting the accrued leave balances to show the transferred leave. The finance director shall determine the appropriate fund transfers and budget amendments as needed for city council action. Records of all leave time transferred shall be maintained in the event any unused time is returned at a later date.
I. The value of any leave transferred which remains unused shall be returned at its original value to the employee or employees who donated the leave. The department director shall determine when leave is no longer needed. To the extent administratively feasible, the unused leave shall be returned on a pro rata basis.
J. The chief finance officer and/or finance and payroll accountant shall monitor the use of shared leave to insure equivalent treatment for all employees of the city. Inappropriate use or treatment of the shared leave provision may result in the cancellation of the donated leave or use of shared leave. In no event shall any unused shared leave be paid to the donee employee in the event of leaving city service. (Ord. 1709 § 6, 2023; Ord. 1693 § 4, 2023; Ord. 924 § 1, 2002; Ord. 777 § 1, 1998).
2.32.070 Longevity leave.
A. Each nonrepresented, regular full-time employee shall be credited with “longevity leave” at the following tiers, which are not cumulative and subject to the following conditions effective January 1, 2024, and each year thereafter:
1. For employees who have worked for the city for more than 10 years (as of January 1st of each year) eight hours of longevity leave will be provided.
2. For employees who have worked for the city for more than 15 years (as of January 1st of each year) 16 hours of longevity leave will be provided.
3. For employees who have worked for the city for more than 20 years (as of January 1st of each year) 24 hours of longevity leave will be provided.
4. For employees who have worked for the city for more than 25 years (as of January 1st of each year) 32 hours of longevity leave will be provided.
B. The years of work in subsection A of this section will be calculated only in whole years that have been worked on a continuous basis with no break in service. No rounding of years shall be applied. For example, a person who has worked 14 years and 11 months on January 1st on a continuous basis shall be in the “more than 10 years” category in tier 1.
C. Longevity leave will not be prorated; will not be carried over (banked) from year to year; and must be used by December 31st of each calendar year. Longevity leave shall not be cashed out for any reason. (Ord. 1690 § 1, 2024).