Article 43 of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement contains the details regarding the new Leave Sharing Program that NTEU recently negotiated for SEC employees.

Participating employees will donate a small amount of annual leave each year, and that leave will be available to assist participants who need additional leave to deal with a medical emergency faced by them or a family member. The Open Season for participating in this new program will occur during October of each year.

This month, Chapter 293 and the SEC are required to designate the members of a new Leave Bank Board, comprised of a Leave Bank Coordinator and two other members. During 2008, the board will establish the processes for participation in the Leave Sharing Program. Thereafter, the board will meet regularly to manage the program and consider applications for leave.

On January 15, Chapter 293 President Greg Gilman appointed Simmenetta Williams to serve as the first Leave Bank Coordinator. Simmenetta recently served on the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiating team for Chapter 293, and she is familiar with the provisions of the new article. “I am excited and pleased that through our negotiations we were able to get this as another benefit for our employees and I look forward to the bank being a very good resource to employees and their families,” she recently remarked.

NTEU hopes that the new Leave Sharing Program will help to fill gaps in coverage that employees can face when they have run out of leave.