You may not be familiar with our Sick Leave Bank and how it can benefit you during the current pandemic! As the federal COVID19 relief is scheduled to run out on December 31, 2020, know that you can access this bank in the case that you or a family member are sick and/or you need to reduce your work hours due to caring for a child whose school has closed. In Oregon, OFLA will continue to provide parents with 12 weeks of protected “sick child leave” every year, which can be used in the event of school closures! The sick leave bank can be used to compensate you during such leaves. As a reminder:
The Sick Leave Bank is a safety net which ensures that you will have access to additional paid leave when your paid sick leave runs out. You may draw on the Sick Leave Bank when you are sick or need to take care of a family member. To review the process and full benefit rules, please review the MOU to Article 32.2 in the 2015-2019 CBA (Please note: this MOU will be updated with the new successor agreement, and we will let you know when that is).
Some great things about this union benefit:
- By making an annual deposit of 7* hrs to the Sick Leave Bank, PSU-AAUP-represented faculty and academic professionals have a right to access up to 20 working days, and to request an additional 20 working days (up to 40* total) [*Now a deposit of 6 hours annually, and up to 60 hours total, as a result of Paid Leave Oregon Bargaining (Updated October, 2023)], if needed. If you are someone without a lot of sick hours stocked up, relax: by being part of the Sick Leave Bank, you get access to the additional hours you need!
- This benefit can be used for anything that qualifies under FMLA, OFLA, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or PSU’s standards around sick time (read those here).
You can apply for the Donated Sick Leave Bank here.
For any questions, feel free to reach out to Sick Leave Bank Committee members (Krista Kennedy - krista5@pdx.edu, Sarah Giles - sagiles@pdx.edu, and Susan Reese - sgreese@pdx.edu), Phil Lesch - phil@psuaaup.net or Karen Kraus - k.d.kraus@pdx.edu (HR Senior Leave Administrator).