Jury Duty / Subpoenaed Witness
A leave of absence without loss of pay shall be granted for jury duty service. An eligible employee may be granted a leave of absence without loss of pay as a subpoenaed witness in cases not initiated by the employee. The employee may keep any payments received from the court system.
Employees are expected to report to work at the University at the regularly scheduled time on days when they are not needed for jury or witness duty or if released from duty early enough to allow the employee to work four or more hours. Employees are expected to keep supervisors informed of the court schedule and the dates and times the employee is required to appear. Employees who do not work a shift that coincides with the court schedule may take time off work equal to the time spent at jury or witness duty on the shift immediately following the jury or witness duty.
The University may require evidence of jury service or witness subpoenaed duty. Individuals who either voluntarily or through their actions become plaintiffs, witnesses, or defendants are ineligible for such leave unless related to the Victim’s Economic Security and Safety Act (VESSA).
Time Off for Voting
Employees may be given time off with pay, not to exceed two hours, to vote on the day of an election if the following conditions are met:
- The employee is entitled to vote.
- The employee is scheduled to work on a day a general or special election is held, or at any election at which propositions are submitted to a popular vote in this State.
- The employee's working hours begin less than two hours after the opening of the polls and end less than two hours before the closing of the polls.
Time Off to Attend School Conferences
In accordance with the School Visitation Rights Act, employees who meet all the requirements are entitled to take up to eight hours of leave to attend school conferences and functions during any school year if the activity cannot be scheduled outside of a regular workday. No more than four hours may be taken in any one workday.
Leave under this section of the policy is for employees who have exhausted all vacation leave, personal leave, compensatory leave, and any other leave that may be granted to the employee except sick leave and disability leave. An employee who utilizes this leave may choose the opportunity to make up the time on a different day or shift as directed by the employee’s department. An employee is not required to make up the time taken, but if an employee does not make up the time, the employee will not be compensated for the leave.
Employee is defined as one who is a permanent full- or part-time (50% FTE or greater) faculty, civil service, or academic professional employee who is employed for six consecutive months prior to requesting this leave.
Before arranging attendance at the conference or activity, the employee shall provide their supervisor with a written request for leave at least seven days in advance of the time the employee is required to utilize the leave right. In emergency situations, no more than 24 hours' notice shall be required. The employee must arrange the leave with their supervisor and must schedule the leave so as not to disrupt the operations of the employee’s department.
The employee must submit the completed Illinois Department of Labor School Visitation Form to the employer following the school visit. (Please note that a school administrator signature is required on this form.) Failure to submit the verification document within two workdays of the visit subjects the employee to the standard disciplinary procedures imposed by the employer for unexcused absences from work.
No employer that is subject to this Act is required to grant school visitation leave to an employee if granting the leave would result in more than 5% of the employer's work force or 5% of an employer's work force shift taking school conference or activity leave at the same time.
Religious Observances
Illinois State University is committed to making reasonable accommodation for employees to observe religious events/holidays (See Policy 1.6). If accommodation cannot be made, employees may use vacation or dock time to observe the event or holiday.
Disaster Service Volunteer Leave
Employees may be granted leave with pay for not more than 20 workdays in a 12-month period to participate in disasters designated at Level III and above in the American National Red Cross Regulations and Procedures and any disaster declared by proclamation of the Governor under Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, subject to the operational needs of the department and supervisory approval.
Leave may be granted when the following conditions are met:
- The employee must be a certified disaster service volunteer of the American Red Cross or assigned to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency in accordance with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act.
- The service of the employee is specifically requested by the Red Cross or the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.
- During the period of absence, the employee will participate in specialized disaster relief services within the state of Illinois; requests for services out-of-state shall be coordinated by the American Red Cross and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency through the Illinois State Emergency Operations Center.
Upon receipt of written confirmation by the Red Cross or the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, and provided the above conditions have been met, leave with pay will be granted based on operational needs of the department. The leave will be without pay until such confirmation is received by Human Resources.
If all the conditions are met, during the absence, there will be no loss of seniority, pay, vacation time, compensatory time, sick time, or earned overtime accumulation. Compensation will be at the regular rate of pay for regular work hours during which the employee is absent from work.
Civil Air Patrol Leave
An employee who has worked for the University for at least 12 months and has been employed for at least 1,250 hours of service during the 12-month period immediately preceding the commencement of the leave and is called to perform a civil air patrol mission will be provided up to 30 days of unpaid civil air patrol leave.
Notice.
The employee must give at least 14 days notice of the intended date upon which the civil air patrol leave will commence, if the leave will consist of five (5) or more consecutive workdays. When possible, the employee shall consult with Human Resources to schedule the leave so as to not unduly disrupt the operations of the University. If the leave will be less than five (5) consecutive workdays, the employee must provide advance notice as is practical. The University may require certification from the proper civil air patrol authority to verify the employee’s eligibility for the leave.
Benefits.
All benefits for employees on civil air patrol leave shall be continued by the University as required by state law.
Volunteer Emergency Worker
In accordance with the Illinois Volunteer Emergency Worker Job Protection Act, this section of the policy provides protection to employees who serve as a volunteer emergency worker and are absent from or late to work due to their response to an emergency, or who respond to an emergency phone call or text message that requests the employee’s volunteer emergency services. Any time missed due to services provided under this Act during the employee’s normal work hours is considered an unpaid leave. The employee may request use of compensable vacation time or personal leave.
Eligibility: A volunteer emergency worker is an individual who meets the requirements of the Act serving in one of the following volunteer roles and does not also work in the listed capacity on a full-time career basis:
- Member of a fire department of a fire protection district, municipality, or other unit of government
- Serving as an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR), First Responder, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate (EMT-I), Advanced Emergency Medial Responder (A-EMT), or Paramedic (EMT-P) who is licensed under the Emergency Medical Systems Act
- Ambulance Driver or Attendant
- Member of county or municipal emergency services and disaster agency pursuant to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act
- Auxiliary policeman or deputy properly appointed
The employee must make a reasonable effort to notify their supervisor that they may be absent or late to work.
The employee will provide a written statement from the supervisor or acting supervisor of the volunteer fire department or governmental entity that the volunteer emergency worker serves. This document should state that the employee responded to an emergency and indicate the time and date of the emergency.
This protection does not diminish or supersede University policies, collective bargaining agreements, administrative guidelines, or other applicable written rules administered by the University. Existing written University policies governing the use of cell phones still apply.
Firefighter Training Leave of Absence
In accordance with the Firefighter Training Leave of Absence Act, this section of the policy provides a leave of absence for eligible employees who are members of any fire department or fire protection district recognized by the State Fire Marshall for trainings identified below.
Eligible Employees
In order to be eligible, employees must:
- Be a full-time (1.0 FTE) employee with Illinois State University, and
- Have at least 6 months of service as a permanent, full-time (1.0 FTE) employee at Illinois State University
Reasons for Leave
- For one occasion, up to 200 hours, to participate in training necessary to obtain Basic Operations Firefighter certification from the State Fire Marshal while attending a State Fire Marshal-approved fire academy.
- For special or advanced training annually, not to exceed 80 hours, after obtaining Basic Operations Firefighter certification from the State Fire Marshal for courses that will lead to additional certification by the State Fire Marshal.
The maximum leave of absence for reasons described above may not exceed 200 hours in any calendar year.
Benefits and Compensation
During an approved leave of absence under this policy, seniority and other benefits will continue to accrue.
Employees utilizing this leave will continue to receive their regular compensation, less the amount of compensation received for attending the basic, special, or advanced training.
Notice of Leave
Employees wishing to take leave under this policy must give advance notice of the leave of absence to Human Resources, including documentation supporting the need for leave and any compensation to be received during the leave.
Leaves requested at least 14 calendar days prior to the start of the leave will not be denied. Employees requesting leave who provide less than 14 calendar days’ notice may have their leave denied if their absence could create a health or safety hazard in the workplace. Employees who are denied leave will be provided a written notice of the denial within 24 business hours after Human Resources receives the request for leave. Once Human Resources approves the request for Firefighter Training Leave, approval for the leave may not be rescinded.