03/20/2015 (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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ARTICLE 26 - MEDICAL LEAVE AND DISABILITY LEAVE In (newly numbered) Article 26.03 and Article 26.09, the County Administrator has proposed a reduction in the amount of medical leave bargaining unit employees can carry forward each year and the amount that is paid out upon separation from employment. These proposed three -tiered systems will "pit" bargaining unit employees against each other and are not justified by comparisons in the local operating area, peculiarities of employment, or by comparisons to the "current Teamsters contract." Bargaining unit members are coming off 7 years of no across-the-board pay increases during which time the State took 3 percent of pay for pension contributions. Just when one would think that increased tax revenues and an increase in the milage rate might cause this relationship to become normal, the County Administrator has gone on a whole scale unjustified attack on key benefits such as medical leave. The County Administrator also proposes changes with respect to Article 26.01, Article 26.03, (newly numbered) Article 26.05, and (newly numbered) Article 26.06. Many of the proposed changes simply make no sense and none of them were justified by evidence. The County Administrator did attempt to justify (newly numbered) Article 26.05C denying all medical leave in the last 30 days of employment unless approved by the Director. The County Administrator contended that employees are "burning time before they leave" and he had to stop the abusers. Unfortunately, the County Administrator used as an example a person who was present at the hearing. The employee explained the injury he suffered that required him to use sick leave and noted that all absences were supported by doctors' notes. The County Administrator's unfounded allegations of abuse are insulting. All of the County's proposals should be rejected. Local 2201 respectfully requests that a motion be made to adopt the Union's proposal for Article 26 - Medical Leave and Disability Leave which immediately follows on the next page.