[Adopted 3-1-1973 as §§ 2-26 through 2-50 of Ch. 2 of the 1973 Code]
The rules and regulations set forth in this article are hereby established and adopted as the official attendance rules and regulations governing vacations, sick leaves and leaves of absence for officers and employees of the City.
The purpose of the rules set forth in this article is to insure equitable treatment of employees and to provide uniformity in matters of attendance, vacations, sick leaves, leaves of absence and holidays, insofar as practicable and consistent with the efficient conduct of the City's business.
[Amended 9-1-1994]
The provisions of this article shall apply to any person directly employed and compensated by the City on a full-time, regular basis, unless a particular law, section or subarticle specifically provides to the contrary; in such event, only the terms of the specified law, section or subdivision shall apply. Any other provisions of this chapter notwithstanding, the City Council may by resolution adopt, and from time to time amend, a personnel employment policy which applies to employees who are not part of a collective bargaining unit.
A. 
General provisions. The basic workweek shall run Monday through Friday. In a City government, different employees perform many different jobs. Because of this, some employees have irregular hours of work and some are required to work a greater number of hours per week than others. Employees in certain positions regularly work evenings and weekends because some of our City services must be performed around the clock.
B. 
Authority of Mayor to establish. The Mayor shall establish the average number of hours per week for any officers and employees, but in no event shall such number of hours be less than 35 hours per week for any officer or employee, unless otherwise specified in the rules set forth in this article.
C. 
Fire fighters. The average number of hours per week that fire fighters shall work shall be 56.
D. 
Police officers. The average number of hours per week that police officers shall work shall be 40.
Each employee, with the exception of department and bureau heads, must record his/her attendance on a time card or attendance sheet. Falsification of this time record is cause for dismissal. The time record shall be submitted to the Department of Finance weekly. Employees are required to report to work on time, both morning and lunch time. Tardiness will result in a payroll deduction. Accumulated tardiness of more than 1/2 hour in any payroll period (one week) shall be deducted from the employee's pay. Department and bureau heads shall submit an attendance memorandum bi-weekly to the Department of Finance, listing his/her absences from work for such period, noting how his/her accruals for such absences should be charged. Habitual tardiness is cause for suspension or dismissal.
A. 
Sundays and holidays.
(1) 
All Sundays and legal holidays enumerated herein shall be allowed as days off, or days shall be allowed in lieu thereof.
(2) 
The days prescribed by law for the observance of New Year's Day, Lincoln's Birthday, Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Election Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day shall be observed as holidays; when any such day falls on Saturday, it shall be observed as a holiday on the preceding Friday or following Monday.
(3) 
A pass day is a day off in lieu of a Sunday on which the employee is required to work. When such pass day falls on a day observed as a holiday pursuant to this rule, such day off shall not be charged as a pass day.
B. 
Vacation:
(1) 
All City employees shall be entitled to vacation, according to the number of years they have been in the service of the City, as follows:
Length of Service
(full years)
Vacation Days
1 through 5
10
6 through 10
15
after 10
20
(2) 
Official holidays occurring during a vacation may be added to the vacation. Vacation will be credited to the employee as of January 1 of each year.
(3) 
A part-time employee who is required to work a fixed number of hours, five days per week, shall also receive vacation as provided herein, but his/her total pay for such period of vacation shall be the amount which would have been due if he/she had been working regularly at his/her usual hours for such period.
(4) 
A leave of absence without pay, or a resignation followed by reinstatement or reemployment in City service within one year following such resignation, shall not constitute an interruption of continuous service for the purposes of this section; provided, however, that leave without pay for more than six months or the period between resignation and reinstatement or reappointment during which the employee is not in City service shall not be counted in determining eligibility for additional vacation credits under this section.
(5) 
No accumulation of vacation credits in excess of 30 days shall be permitted. The appointing authority shall notify the employee, in writing, of the total amount of his/her unliquidated credits when such credits total the equivalent of 25 days.
(6) 
The time at which vacation may be drawn by an employee shall be subject to the prior approval of the appointing authority.
A. 
Leave for absence necessitated by occupational injury or disease. Except as otherwise provided in Subsections B and C hereof, an employee necessarily absent from duty because of occupational injury or disease, as defined in the Workers' Compensation Law, upon giving notice to his/her appointing authority that he/she is absent on account of such injury or disease and that he/she claims benefits under such law, shall be allowed leave from his/her position for the period of absence necessitated by injury or disease, up to cumulatively one year, including any periods of such absence during which the employee draws vacation, sick leave or other leave credits. Such leave may be extended for further periods in the discretion of the appointing authority.
B. 
Controverted cases. If the employee's claim for benefits under the Workers' Compensation Law is controverted (at the request of the appointing authority or on its own initiative) and the appointing officer is so notified, the employee shall not be entitled to leave under this section. This shall not, however, adversely affect the employee's eligibility for leave under other provisions of these attendance rules. If final determination of the controverted claim is in favor of the employee, he/she shall be entitled to leave under this section, and all absences before such final determination, to the extent that the same were necessitated by his/her occupational injury or disease, shall be deemed to have been pursuant to leave under this section.
C. 
Permanent incapacity. Leave under this section may be withheld or terminated if the appointing authority determines that the occupational injury or disease suffered by the employee is of such a nature as to permanently incapacitate him/her for the performance of the duties of his/her position.
D. 
Pay during leave. An employee on leave under this section may receive pay as follows:
(1) 
The appointing authority, upon finding that the employee is in fact disabled from the performance of his/her duties, may grant the employee full pay during such leave not exceeding cumulatively six months. Such full pay may be granted irrespective of the employee's accrued credits under the attendance rules.
(2) 
Except when of full-pay status under Subsection D(1), the employee may draw accrued vacation, overtime and sick leave credits, subject to the provisions of the attendance rules pertaining thereto.
(3) 
If not drawing full pay under Subsections D(1) or (2), an employee may, in the discretion of the appointing authority, be allowed to draw personal leave and sick leave at half pay for which he/she may be eligible under the attendance rules.
E. 
Accrual of leave credits. An employee who receives full pay for any period of leave under this section shall earn vacation and sick leave credits during such period.
F. 
Award credited to City. An award by the Workers' Compensation Board of Compensation for any period for which the employee receives or received pay from the City shall be credited to the City as reimbursement of wages paid.
G. 
Restoration of leave credits. Leave credits, including sick leave at half pay, used by an employee during a period of absence for which an award of compensation has been made and credited to the City as reimbursement for wages paid, shall be restored to him/her in full; provided, however, that no restoration shall be made for any absence of less than a full day. Credits so restored may not again be used for future absences attributable to the same injury. In the event that the employee dies, resigns, retires or continues absent beyond one year without further leave, cash payment for vacation and overtime credits, including any credits restored under this subsection, shall be made in accordance with the appropriate provisions of these attendance rules. In any other case, an employee restored to service after absence on leave under this section shall have one year from the date of such restoration to reduce his/her accrued leave credits to the limits prescribed in the attendance rules.
H. 
Reinstatement. Upon request of the employee for reinstatement prior to the expiration of the maximum period of allowed leave, the appointing authority, if in doubt as to whether the employee is physically and mentally fit to perform the duties of his/her position, may require the employee to undergo medical examination, by a physician designated by the appointing authority, before the employee may be reinstated. If reinstatement is denied, the employee may make application therefor in the manner prescribed by § 71 of the Civil Service Law. If an employee continues absent after the expiration of the maximum period of allowed leave, his/her eligibility for reinstatement shall be governed by § 71 of the Civil Service Law.
I. 
Medical examination. In order to enable the appointing authority to make such determinations as are authorized or required under this section, the appointing authority may require an employee at any time to be examined by a physician designated by the appointing authority.
J. 
Where the appointing authority has refused to grant the employee pay during leave pursuant to Subsection D above, or has withheld or terminated a leave of absence on the ground that the occupational injury or disease is of such a nature as to permanently incapacitate the employee for the performance of the duties of his/her position, the employee may request the Civil Service Commission to review the determination of the appointing authority. If the Commission finds that such determination of the appointing authority is arbitrary or unreasonable, it may reverse or modify such determination.
K. 
Construction. This section shall not be construed to require extension of any employment beyond the time at which it would otherwise terminate.
On proof of the necessity of jury service or attending court pursuant to subpoena or other order of the court, an employee shall be granted a leave of absence with pay by the appointing authority.
Employees shall be allowed leave with pay to take state civil service examinations at the appropriate center, provided that due notice is given by the employee to the appointing authority.
If an employee who is not ill himself/herself is required to remain absent because of quarantine, and presents a written statement of the attending physician or local health officer proving the necessity of such absence, he/she shall be granted leave with pay for the period of his/her required absence, without charge against accumulated sick leave, vacation or overtime credits. Prior to return to duty, such employee may be required to submit a written statement from the local health officer having jurisdiction that his/her return to duty will not jeopardize the health of other employees.
The appointing authority shall grant any leave of absence, with pay, required by law.
Upon certification by the County Director of Civil Defense of the necessity for the participation in state or local civil defense drills of an employee enrolled as a civil defense volunteer and required to perform civil defense duties pursuant to the State Defense Emergency Act[1], the appointing authority may allow such employee to absent himself/herself from his/her position, without loss of pay or charge against leave credits, for such time as is necessary for participation in such drills, but not exceeding cumulatively five workdays per calendar year.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Unconsolidated Laws § 1901 et seq.
At the time of separation from City service, an employee or his/her estate or beneficiary, as the case may be, shall be compensated in cash for overtime credits not in excess of 30 days accrued and unused as of the effective date of separation, except that in the case of resignation the appointing authority may require, as a condition for such payment, that written notice of such resignation be given to the appointing authority at least two weeks prior to the last day of work. No employee who is removed from City service as a result of disciplinary action or who resigns after charges of incompetency or misconduct have been served upon him/her shall be entitled to compensation for vacation credits under the provisions of this section.
An employee on leave from his/her position on account of his/her entry into the armed forces of the United States for active duty (other than for training), as defined by Title 10 of the United States Code, may elect to receive compensation in cash for vacation and overtime credits not in excess of 30 days in each category, accrued and unused as of the last date on which his/her name appeared on the City payroll.
A. 
Sick leave is absence with pay necessitated by the illness or other physical disability of the employee.
B. 
Employees shall earn sick leave credits at the rate of one day per month and may accumulate such credits up to a total of 150 days. A part-time employee who is required to work a fixed number of hours, five days per week, shall also earn sick leave credit as provided herein, but his/her total pay when absent on such leave shall be the amount which would have been due had he/she been working regularly at his/her usual hours for such period.
C. 
An employee absent on sick leave shall notify his/her supervisor of such absence and the reason therefor on the first day of such absence and within two hours after the beginning of his/her workday; provided, however, that where the work is such that a substitute may be required, the appointing authority may require earlier notification, but not more than two hours prior to the beginning of the employee's workday. Sick leave credits may be used in such units as the appointing authority may approve but shall not be used in units of less than 1/2 hour.
D. 
Before absence for personal illness may be charged against accumulated sick leave credits, the appointing authority may require such proof of illness as may be satisfactory to it, or may require the employee to be examined, at the expense of the City, by a physician designated by the appointing authority. In the event of failure to submit proof of illness upon request, or in the event that, upon such proof as is submitted or upon the report of medical examination, the appointing authority finds that there is not satisfactory evidence of illness sufficient to justify the employee's absence from the performance of his/her duties, such absence may be considered as unauthorized leave and shall not be charged against accumulated sick leave credits. Abuse of sick leave privileges shall be cause for disciplinary action.
E. 
The appointing authority may require an employee who has been absent because of personal illness, prior to and as a condition of his/her return to duty, to be examined, at the expense of the City, by a physician designated by the appointing authority, to establish that he/she is not disabled from the performance of his/her normal duties and that his/her return to duty will not jeopardize the health of other employees.
F. 
In addition to personal illness of the employee, the following types of absence, when approved by the appointing authority, may be charged against accumulated sick leave credits: Illness or death in the employee's family; provided, however, that charge for such absence shall not exceed a maximum of 15 days in any one year; personal visits to doctor or dentist; and absence for maternity. Proof of the need for such absences, satisfactory to the appointing authority, may be required.
G. 
When an employee is separated from service for other than disciplinary reasons and is subsequently reinstated or reemployed within one year after such separation, his/her sick leave credits accumulated and unused at the time of his/her separation shall be restored.
H. 
Where reinstatement occurs more than one year following separation, sick leave credits accumulated and unused at the time of separation may be restored in the discretion of the City civil service commission. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, an employee reinstated from a preferred list shall be entitled to restoration of all sick leave credits accumulated and unused at the time of his/her suspension.
A. 
The appointing authority may, in its discretion, advance sick leave credits to an employee absent due to personal illness who has exhausted his/her accumulated sick leave, vacation and overtime credits. Such advanced sick leave credits shall be repaid, as soon as practicable after the employee's return to duty, from subsequent accumulations of time credits. The outstanding unrepaid sick leave credits advanced to any employee under the provisions of this section shall not at any time exceed a total of five days.
B. 
Upon termination of the employee's services, any such advance of sick leave not offset by subsequent accumulations of sick leave, vacation and overtime credits, shall be deducted from salary or wages due the employee.
The appointing authority may, in its discretion, grant sick leave at half-pay for personal illness to a permanent employee having not less than one year of service after all of his/her sick leave, vacation and overtime credits have been used; provided, however, that the cumulative total of all sick leave at half-pay hereafter granted to any employee during his/her City service shall not exceed one pay period for each complete six months of his/her City service.
A. 
Personal leave is leave with pay for personal business including religious observance without charge against accumulated vacation or overtime credits. Employees shall be entitled to personal leave not exceeding a total of three days in a year, to be credited as follows:
(1) 
An employee in City service on February 1, 1968, shall be credited with three days personal leave on February 1, 1968, and thereafter, except as herein otherwise provided, shall be credited with three days personal leave each year on the anniversary of such date.
(2) 
Any person who was separated or granted a leave of absence without pay from City service prior to February 1, 1968, and is hereafter reemployed or reinstated in City service, and any employee who enters City service after February 1, 1968, shall be credited with three days personal leave on the date of such reemployment, reinstatement or entry, as the case may be, and thereafter, except as herein otherwise provided, shall be credited with three days personal leave each year on the anniversary of such date.
(3) 
If an employee is separated from City service or granted a leave of absence without pay from City service subsequent to February 1, 1968, and thereafter is reinstated or reemployed within one year following the last date upon which personal leave was credited to him/her pursuant to this rule, the unused personal leave standing to his/her credit at the time of separation or leave of absence shall be restored to him/her and he/she shall retain the same anniversary date for the purposes of crediting personal leave thereafter under this rule as that which was applicable to him/her prior to such separation or leave of absence;
(4) 
If an employee is separated from City service or granted a leave of absence without pay from City service subsequent to February 1, 1968, and thereafter is reinstated or reemployed more than one year following the last date upon which personal leave was credited to him/her pursuant to this section, such reinstatement or reemployment shall be deemed to be a new entry into City service for the purposes of crediting personal leave under this section.
B. 
Personal leave shall not be cumulative, and any personal leave credit remaining unused by an employee on the date immediately preceding the anniversary date upon which he/she is entitled to receive new personal leave credits hereunder shall be cancelled. Unused personal leave shall not be liquidated in cash at the time of separation, retirement or death.
C. 
Personal leave may be drawn only at a time convenient to and approved in advance by the appointing authority; provided, however, that personal leave allowed for religious observance shall be granted on the days and hours required, insofar as the same may be granted at such time without interference with the proper conduct of government functions.
A. 
The appointing authority may, in its discretion, grant employees time off with pay on account of excessive heat or other extraordinary weather conditions.
B. 
Such time off shall be charged against accumulated vacation, overtime or sick leave credits, or may, with the approval of the appointing authority, be allowed as personal leave.
A. 
A pregnant employee, holding a position by permanent appointment, shall be granted a leave of absence without pay for a period of six months, which may be extended by the appointing authority up to one year.
B. 
The employee shall report to the appointing authority the existence of pregnancy not later than the end of the fourth month.
C. 
Placement of employee on leave. The appointing authority may thereafter place the employee on leave at any time when, in its judgment, the interest of either the City or the employee would be best served by such action.
D. 
Reduction of leave by use of earned credits. The employee may be allowed to reduce the six-month period leave without pay by the use of any or all earned credits.
E. 
Physician's statement. A physician's statement as to the fitness of the employee for the performance of her duties may be required at any time before her leave commences and may be required prior to her return to duty.
A permanent employee may, in the direction of the appointing authority, be granted a leave of absence from his/her position, without pay, for a period not exceeding two years. Such leave may be extended beyond two years, for periods aggregating not in excess of an additional two years, only with the approval of the Civil Service Commission. In an exceptional case, a further extension may be permitted by the Commission for good cause shown and where the interests of the government would be served. For the purposes of this section, time spent in active service in the military forces of the United States or of the State of New York shall not be considered in computing this period of leave.
Where a leave of absence without pay has been granted for a period which aggregates two years, or more if extended a further leave of absence without pay, shall not be granted unless the employee returns to his/her position and serves continuously therein for six months immediately preceding the subsequent leave of absence.
The rules set forth in this article may be suspended in whole or in part in an emergency, for the duration of the same and to an extent made necessary by the nature of the emergency, on written approval of the mayor, filed in the Department of Finance within one week after the commencement of such emergency.
The provisions of the rules set forth in this article authorizing the earning and accumulation of vacation credits and entitlement to personal leave shall not apply to employees whose employment is temporary and limited to all or parts of the months of June, July, August or September and who are designated as summer employees or summer replacements.