Article 27: Annual Leave

Section 1

All Full-time employees with less than 10 years of creditable federal service will accrue annual leave at the rate of 6 hours per pay period. Full-time employees with 10 years or more of creditable federal service will accrue annual leave at a rate of 8 hours per pay period.

Part-time employees with less than 10 years of creditable federal service will accrue annual leave at a rate of 1 hour for each 13 hours in a pay status. Part-time employees with 10 years or more of creditable federal service will accrue annual leave at a rate of 1 hour for each 10 hours in a pay status.

Section 2

An employee will submit annual leave requests via the electronic time and attendance system. An employee should submit their request for annual leave for periods of five (5) or more consecutive workdays normally at least ten (10) calendar days in advance of the requested leave. If the Employer expects that there will be a need to limit the number of employees on leave (or the length of their leave), the Employer will request leave plans from employees and set a deadline for those plans. Requests for annual leave will be approved or denied by the date the leave is needed, but no later than ten (10) work days after receipt of the request (or after the deadline if other employees are requested to submit requests for the same time). Annual leave may be requested and used in fifteen (15) minute increments.

Section 3

An employee will request the Employer's approval of the use of annual leave in advance of the requested leave. When the employee is unable to come to work and must request unscheduled annual leave, the employee must request their supervisor's approval of the annual leave as soon as practicable, normally within one hour after the employee's scheduled start time that day but no later than 10 a.m. If the employee is unable to contact their supervisor, they will leave a message regarding the unscheduled annual leave and will leave a phone number where they can be contacted. The employee will promptly submit a leave request in the electronic time and attendance system documenting their unscheduled annual leave upon their return to work.  

Section 4

The Employer will approve an employee's request for annual leave unless the employee's absence would have an adverse effect on staffing, workload or mission requirements. Requests for annual leave will normally be processed by the Employer on a first received basis. However, when the Employer has pending two or more requests for annual leave and determines that all cannot be granted due to staffing, workload or mission considerations and all other relevant factors are equal, the Employer will give preference to employees in order of Agency seniority.

Section 5

Beginning in the 2022 leave year, all bargaining unit employees will be able to carry over to the next leave year a maximum of 400 hours of accrued annual leave. The Employer will issue an annual notice to all employees advising them of the 400 hour "use or lose" annual leave ceiling.

Section 6

When an employee's annual leave balance has been exhausted, the Employer will consider an employee's written request for advanced annual leave.

Section 7

An employee may submit a request to change previously approved annual leave to sick leave where sick leave is appropriate. The Employer's decision regarding an employee's request will be governed by relevant provisions of Article 28 (Sick Leave).

Section 8

The Employer will not rescind previously approved annual leave unless circumstances exist that were not foreseen or could not reasonably have been foreseen at the time approval was given and the employee's absence would have a significant adverse effect on staffing, workload or mission requirements. Upon written request, the Employer will provide the employee with written reasons for the rescission.  

Section 9

The Employer will not deny requests for annual leave in lieu of discipline. The Employer will not consider the use of approved annual leave in preparing the employee's written performance appraisal.