Holidays for 2009

Additional Day of Paid Leave

Under collective bargaining contract provisions, classified personnel employed on or before December 24, receive one additional day of paid leave (pro-rated for part-time employees) on the workday before or after Christmas Day, or the day before or after New Year's Day. If work requirements prevent an employee from taking one of these four days, the employee may use the day on another day prior to June 30, 2009. If the day is not taken by June 30, 2009, with supervisor authorization, it is forfeited.

In the past, the Governor has granted academic employees an additional day of paid leave in conjunction with Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's Day. These eight hours of additional paid leave (pro-rated for part-time employees) are granted to 12-month, unclassified employees employed on or before December 24. This leave may be used pre-Thanksgiving, the workday before or after Christmas Day, or the workday before or after New Year’s Day. Academic employees who are unable to be away from their duties to take the additional day of paid leave in the current year are allowed to use the paid leave until June 30, 2009. We will notify the campus should the Governor once again provide this additional day of paid leave to academic employees.

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Classified Employees Working Irregular Workweeks

Classified employees will receive compensatory time off for all holiday time earned unless an employee elects to receive cash for hours worked, calculated at a time-and-one-half rate, when they are required or allowed to work on days recognized as legal holidays. Provisions governing holiday scheduling and holiday work compensation are contained in Article 42 of the Service Employees International Union Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Academic employees (FLSA exempt and non-exempt) who are required to work on a University recognized holiday are to be compensated for hours worked at the rate of time and one-half in the form of pay or compensatory time off at the discretion of their employing unit.

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Accounting for Time Worked on a Holiday

Classified employees are eligible to receive cash payment or compensatory time off for hours worked, calculated at a time-and-one-half rate, when they are required or allowed to work on days recognized as legal holidays.  Provisions governing holiday scheduling and holiday work compensation are contained in Article 42 of the Service Employees International Union Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Academic employees (FLSA exempt and non-exempt) who are required to work on a University recognized holiday are to be compensated for hours worked at the rate of time and one-half in the form of pay or compensatory time off at the discretion of their employing unit.

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Early Unit Closure Prior to the Start of a Holiday

Administrators and supervisors are responsible for providing adequate staffing coverage for normal operations prior to the start of a holiday.  Please be reminded that administrators do not have the authority to close their units without approval of the President or his designee.

Supervisors may authorize early release of classified staff as long as the employees record usage as vacation leave, personal leave, or leave without pay for the early release time taken.  Administrators cannot provide release time to classified staff outside the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement.  FLSA non-exempt academic employees are also expected to report early leave usage to their supervisors for early release time taken.

University Operating Schedule on December 26, 2008

As noted above, the University will be closed Thursday, December 25, 2008, and Thursday, January 1, 2009, in observance of Christmas and New Year’s holidays.  Christmas Eve Day, December 24, is a holiday for classified employees, exchanged for Veteran’s Day in past contract negotiations.  As has been the practice on several occasions in the past due to classes not being in session and reduced workload for departments and units on campus, it has been decided that the University will not be in operation on Friday, December 26, 2008, for all employees.  

We are providing you advance notice so that you may plan accordingly.  All office and university operations are to be closed statewide on December 26, 2008.  Employees are not to report to work unless they have been notified by their supervisor to do so because they are on duty to perform essential services.  Essential services are those services that are critical and necessary for maintaining safe and secure university operations.  Examples include boiler plant operations, public safety and security operations, and animal care.  If you are a supervisor or administrator and have questions about whether or not a service provided by your unit should be considered “essential”, please contact Jeri Hemmer or Deb Fernandez in the Office of Human Resources.

Unclassified employees with vacation leave or compensatory time accrual are expected to use their leave to cover their absence on December 26.  Should the Governor authorize an additional eight hours of paid leave (pro-rata for employees working less than 1.0 FTE) for vacation leave eligible employees to use during the holiday season, unclassified employees may use this additional paid leave to cover their absence on December 26 or they may choose to use vacation, compensatory time, or leave without pay.  We anticipate receiving notification in early November 2008 regarding whether or not the Governor will grant this leave for unclassified employees. 

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