Eligibility for Sick Leave
Eligible employees shall receive 13 annual sick days to be deposited the first pay period in January. Maximum accumulated sick leave is 60 days. Part-time employees shall receive pro-rated sick leave based on their job FTE.
All 9/10 month employees, including faculty on a 9-month contract, shall receive 9 days deposited the first pay period in January up to a maximum of 60 days.
New hires with a start date between January 1 and June 30 shall receive 13 days (pro-rated for part-time) effective on their first day of employment. Those hired with a start date between July 1 and December 31 shall receive 6.5 days (pro-rated for part-time).
Employees on a paid/unpaid leave of absence (including short-term disability) on January 1 will receive their sick leave days upon return to work on a pro-rated basis (following the new hire pro-ration described above).
Availability of Sick Leave
Available for the following purposes, sick leave covers eligible employees and members of the employee's immediate family, who, in this instance, shall include the spouse, children, parents, foster parents, parents-in-law, siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren, legal guardianship, other dependents, or significant other (an individual with whom an employee has a continuing personal living arrangement that has existed over an extended period of time):
- Personal illness, injury, quarantine, or disability.
- Medical appointments and dental appointments.
- Time given to serve as pallbearer or to attend a funeral.
- To compensate an employee for the difference between payments received under the Worker's Disability Act and the employee's regular wages.
- To compensate an employee for the difference between payments received under the Short-term Disability policy and the employee's regular wages up to a maximum of 12 hours per pay period (represents 30% effort).
Documentation
Sick leave or time off without pay for medical reasons in excess of three consecutive work days may require a physician statement clarifying the need for the employee's absence and to enable an employee to continue to claim future sick time. A physician's statement may also be required to release an employee off for more than 3 consecutive days for medical reasons to return back to work.
At the conclusion of an employee's sick leave, the University, at its option and without cost to the employee, may require that a physician or physicians of its choosing determine, by way of examination, the employee's fitness to return to work.
As soon as the employee knows their time off due to a non-work related injury/illness will extend past 14 calendar days, the employee must apply for salary continuation under the Short-Term Disability Policy.
If short-term disability is not approved, employees may use sick time and may require a physician statement substantiating the need for extended time off.
Advance Sick Leave
Sick leave shall not be allowed in advance of being earned. When an illness, injury, or disability has used the employee's total sick leave, the employee shall be removed from the payroll until such time as work is resumed or an approved leave of absence is granted.
Sick Leave after Termination
Any unused sick leave will not be payable once an employee separates from the University.
Bereavement Leave
When an employee's spouse, children, mother, father, sister, brother, grandmother, grandfather, grandchildren, great-grandfather, great-grandmother, great-grandchildren, step-parents, step-children, father-in-law, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, foster parents, foster children, legal guardian, aunt, uncle or significant other (an individual with whom the employee has had a continued personal living arrangement which existed over an extended period of time) dies, the employee will be allowed three days bereavement leave to attend the funeral or service and make arrangements without loss of pay. If additional time off is needed, the employee may request the use of sick time or leave of absence without pay.
Revised:
2/7/2018 - Annual Review: Removed "compensatory time," from "If additional time off
is needed, the employee may request the use of sick time, compensatory time, or leave
of absence without pay."
12/08/2016 - Annual Review: No changes made to content.
01/28/2015 - Annual Review: To reflect current practice, the email address for questions
is now policy@mtu.edu. The second paragraph read: "All 9/10 month employees shall receive 9 days ...."
now reads "All 9/10 month employees, including faculty on a 9-month contract, shall
receive 9 days ....".
02/19/2014 - Annual Review: Updated Michigan Tech and Handbook banners. The first
sentence in the first paragraph read: "Sick leave for eligible employees shall receive
13 annual sick days to be deposited the first pay period in January' and now reads:
"Eligible employees shall receive 13 annual sick days to be deposited the first pay
period in January." The sentence in the fourth paragraph read: "....on January 1 will
receive their sick leave days once the employee returns back to work on..." now reads:
"on January 1 will receive their sick leave days upon return to work on ....."
06/13/2012 - Revised Sick Leave Policy to reflect current practice, deleted Voluntary
Sick Leave Pool (VSLP) since it no longer exists.
06/21/2011 - Annual Review: Revised Availability of Sick Leave section to reflect
current practice, replaced sick leave pool with voluntary sick leave pool, and to
reflect current University titles and practice, the email address for questions is
now hbwebmaster.
10/20/2010 - Format changes.