Mandatory Furlough Must be Used Before June 30th

Time is running out to use any remaining mandatory furlough you might have. Per MEA’s Memorandum of Understanding, the 52 hours of Mandatory Furlough for 2009 -2010 must be taken off before the end of the fiscal year, which is June 30, 2010. This is a “use it or lose it” program, with unused time not carrying over into the next fiscal year. The City has informed MEA that 1,200 employees have still not utilized the remaining 14,000 hours of unused Mandatory Furlough. Please note that the City has already deducted the value of the 52 hours out of your paychecks. The Mandatory Furlough section is under Article 21 of the MOU which states,

Mandatory Furlough

(a) Effective with the pay period beginning on July 11, 2009, each full-time

employee will be required to take fifty-two (52) hours of unpaid

furlough during each fiscal year, which will be deducted on a pro-rata

basis from each of 25 paychecks over the course of the fiscal year on

the same terms and conditions as apply to the City’s FY09 Voluntary

Furlough Program, except that no discretionary days off shall be made

available.

(b) With the exception of Hourly employees, no MEA-represented

employee is excluded from this Mandatory Furlough regardless of job

position.

(c) A pro-rata adjustment in the number of Mandatory Furlough hours

shall be made for those employees who work half and three-quarter

time.

(d) A pro-rata adjustment in the number of Mandatory Furlough hours

shall be made for any employee who is hired after the beginning of a

fiscal year.

(e) Each employee will schedule his or her Mandatory Furlough hours

in the same manner as vacations are presently scheduled pursuant to

Article 18 of this MOU. The City agrees that each employee must be

allowed the opportunity to take Mandatory Furlough hours off before

the end of each fiscal year covered by this MOU. The parties intend

that this Mandatory Furlough program will be conducted on terms

that are fair and reasonable to each employee while permitting the

City to carry on necessary work. In the event of any dispute over a

department’s or division’s handling of employees’ requests to schedule

their mandatory furlough days, the City’s Human Resources Director

will have the authority to hear and direct the Department or Division

to resolve the dispute in keeping with the letter and spirit of the

parties’ agreement.

Additionally, if you haven’t taken your Floating Holiday, you must take it off by June 25, 2010, or lose it.

Please do not hesitate to contact your MEA representative at 619-264-6632 if you have any questions.