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It is that time of year where our Members should be contemplating when they would like to take their vacation and where they plan to spend it. We all sacrifice throughout the year toiling for a company that rarely recognizes our contributions, but we can all reward ourselves with time off that is so richly deserved.
All AT&T workgroups with bargaining unit employees should be adhering to Article-22 for vacation selection. If you find the managers in your workgroup are not following Article-22 and your selection is in violation of this Article, contact your Departmental Rep or Vice President for assistance in resolving the issue. The following is eligibility, criteria, pay treatment, and rules as set forth in Article-22 (Vacations) of the 2009 CWA/AT&T Collective Bargaining Agreement. I have bolded the changes in the 2009 Collective Bargaining Agreement that was recently ratified; the language changes appear in Scheduling Time Off section 8.(b). In Unity,
Roy Hegenbart President/Local 3250
ARTICLE 22 - VACATIONS 1 Eligibility (a) Employees with six (6) or more months of continuous service since the date of the employee's most recent engagement shall be eligible for annual vacations as follows:
(1) One (1) week of vacation after the completion of a term of employment of six (6) months. (2) Two (2) weeks of vacation after the completion of a term of employment of twelve (12) months. When terms of employment of six (6) and twelve (12) months are both completed in the same calendar year, only two (2) weeks of vacation shall be granted during that year. (3) Two (2) weeks during each calendar year after the year in which a term of employment of twelve (12) months is completed. (4) Three (3) weeks beginning with the calendar year in which a term of employment of seven (7) years is completed. (5) Four (4) weeks beginning with the calendar year in which a term of employment of fifteen (15) years is completed. (6) Five (5) weeks beginning with the calendar year in which a term of employment of twenty-five (25) years is completed.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in the case of military leaves, an employee who has been absent on account of disability or on a leave of absence shall be eligible to a vacation provided the employee has worked six (6) months or more after July 1 of the year preceding the current calendar year and provided such vacation is completed prior to the last full week in April.
2 Part-time employees shall receive a vacation allowance equal to their applicable part-time equivalent work week if eligible under Paragraph 1 (Eligibility) at the time of their vacation. 3 An employee's vacation assignment in a particular vacation week or on a particular vacation day shall not be modified because of illness or accident which occurs after that vacation assignment has begun.
4 Day-at-a-Time Vacation An employee may select vacation on a day-at-a-time basis during the vacation selection process described in Paragraph 8 (Scheduling of Time Off).
5 Carry Over Vacation (a) Employees may select all of their vacation during the carry-over period of the following year during the vacation selection process as described in Paragraph 8 (Scheduling of Time Off).
(b) Subject to needs of the business and force requirements, employees may reschedule a vacation period selected in the current calendar year to an available vacation carry-over period in the following year.
(c) Any week or weeks of vacation carried over from one (1) calendar year into the next must be completed no later than the last week ending in April of the year into which they are carried over.
6 If an authorized holiday occurs during an employee's vacation, an additional day off with pay will be scheduled. This additional day off will be considered a vacation day for the purpose of determining work schedules, but need not be taken contiguous to a vacation week.
7 Payments in Lieu of Vacation
(a) In the event of an employee's resignation, discharge (for other than misconduct) or death before using all the vacation which the employee is eligible to receive in the calendar year, an amount equivalent to such unused vacation shall be paid to the employee, his or her beneficiary or estate.
(b) An employee who leaves the payroll because of retirement or layoff and who has not yet become eligible for vacation under Paragraph 1(b) shall receive a payment in lieu of the vacation for which they would have been eligible for had they met the requirements of that paragraph.
8 Scheduling of Time Off
(a) Employees will select available time off for which they are eligible from the schedule as determined by the Company in accordance with the procedures provided in this Article. The period during which time off may be scheduled shall extend through the last full week ending in April of the following calendar year.
(b) Time off for this purpose includes full weeks of vacation, day-at-a-time vacation, Excused Work Days (paid or non-paid), floating holidays, and days in lieu of holidays which occur during a scheduled vacation week. Employees may not select half-tour vacations during the vacation selection process. However, employees may subsequently request five (5) vacation days on a half-tour basis and such request shall be granted if service and coverage conditions permit. The assessment, discussion, and decision whether to grant additional vacation in half-day increments will take place annually prior to the vacation selection process as set forth in Article 22, Paragraph 8(d).
(c) Employees shall select time off in seniority order within each vacation selection universe, in the priority set forth in this Article, as determined by the Company. It is the intent of the parties that the employees' selection will be granted to the extent practicable consistent with force requirements and the needs of the business.
(d) The vacation selection process in a vacation selection universe will begin no earlier than November 1. The entire process of scheduling time off shall be completed by December 31, for employees covered by Article 37 (Operator Services). For all other employees, the vacation selection process should ordinarily be completed by December 31, but in any event should be completed no later than April 1. Employees who will not be readily available between November 1 and December 31 may express their preference for choices in advance of November 1 and, if available, their choices will be assigned as chosen in accordance with seniority provided that service requirements permit. Prior to the beginning of the calendar year, management will canvass the vacation selection universe to allow the employees to select scheduled vacation weeks from the available dates. Only full weeks of vacation are included in this first selection priority.
(e) In addition to the time off scheduled under Paragraph 8(d) above, employees shall also select all other time off for which they are eligible, and such time will be referred to as "Reserve Time" on the second selection priority canvass.
(f) An employee who is contacted must select the vacation period desired in a reasonable period of time or that employee will be passed. Employees who are passed shall have the right to make a selection from the remaining available periods in accordance with their seniority, but may not preempt the period selected by any other employee. For employees who have not selected their vacation by the end of the selection period, the Company will have the option to assign their remaining vacation.
(g) Subject to the needs of the business and force requirements, employees may reschedule any of their vacation, whether assigned by the Company or selected by the employee, to available vacation periods, but may not preempt the period selected by any other employee.
(h) Employees shall not be permitted to exchange seniority rights in the selection of vacation periods. After vacation schedules have been posted, however, employees covered by Article 37 (Operator Services) shall be permitted to exchange vacation periods subject to service and coverage conditions.
9 Rescheduling Vacation Due to Permanent Transfers, Assignments, or Reassignments
(a) If an employee is permanently transferred, assigned, or reassigned to a different work group as a result of a Company initiated transfer, assignment or reassignment, then to the extent that needs of the business permit, the employee will retain the vacation schedule that was approved in the prior work group.
(b) If an employee initiates a transfer, he or she is required to reselect his or her vacation from those days available within the new work group.
10 The decision of the Company on service and coverage requirements in this section shall be controlling unless the Company is shown to have acted arbitrarily or in bad faith. Any dispute concerning the interpretations or applications of this Article may be taken up as a grievance and, if necessary, submitted to arbitration, in accordance with Article 10 (Arbitration).
11 Payment for vacation shall be at the employee's Adjusted Rate plus any applicable tour differential.
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