The following newsletter contains information about employee time and leave.
If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you would benefit from reading this newsletter:
- Do you have any pending leave requests in the VATAS system ?
- Are you required to use a piece of paper or a word/excel document to keep track of your leave requests?
- Do you know the definition of department seniority and what it means to have seniority?
- Do you know the definition of the Leave Scramble, or your department leave granting group?
- Have you ever been denied overtime because you have called in sick in the past?
Defined:
Leave Scramble: Pre-scheduling leave (AL) allowing for us to plan our year and ensure we know how much leave we need to ensure we have a sufficient leave balance to take planned annual leave. Every employee has the opportunity to take part in the leave scramble.
- If you choose to participate in the leave scramble, the deadline to enter leave into VATAS for the following year is November 15th.
- Requests entered into the VATAS system by close of business November 15th will have priority over requests received after that date. Management will approve or deny all entries by December 15th.
- Employees my ask for LWOP, however that will be granted at the discretion of management.
- More than 2 consecutive weeks of leave may be granted if there are no conflicts.
- If requesting leave around a holiday, it will be granted as long as there are no conflicts and minimum core staffing is available. IF conflict occur they will be resolved in the following manner:
- Same holiday consecutively will be granted if there are no conflicting requests.
- If neither employee had the time off the previous year, then seniority will be used to determine leave granted.
**** Please note that AFGE recommends using VATAS the official record keeping system for approved and denied leave. If your supervisor refuses to use the VATAS system please notify AFGE and give the office your department and supervisors name so that we can contact HR on your behalf.
Seniority Defined:
Seniority is based on when the employee started within their same professional capacity, job title, and/ or occupational code.
Example:
- The date the employee has been a member of the work group staff within their professional capacity.
- The date the individual started working in the service line, or leave competing group.
- See 6-16-17 seniority MOU
Overtime:
It is understood that employees occasionally may be sick within the pay period they worked overtime. However, the 2nd sick leave occurrence in the quarter they have worked overtime will result in not being allowed to volunteer for additional overtime for the following quarter.
- Reference Scheduling Overtime MOU dated March 27th 2013
Annual Leave
- If you enter leave after November 15th: Employees should submit requests for annual leave as far in advance as possible. The Department will render timely decisions on employees’ leave requests. The Department will make every effort to accommodate the employees’ requests, consistent with valid operational needs.
- If you enter leave after November 15th, the employees leave will be grated based on seniority.
- AFGE believes a timely decision to approve or disapprove leave is 14 calendar days. If your leave is still pending, then email your supervisor and ask that the supervisor give you a decision in VATAS on the leave entered. If the supervisor refuses to approve or deny your leave request AFGE will contact HR on your behalf before filing an official grievance.
- If the VATAS entry is denied with the reason of “enter leave closer to the requested leave date” This is unacceptable! AFGE needs to know which supervisors are refusing to approve or deny leave appropriately.
- Reference Article 35; Time and Leave.
