Description
Effective January 1, 2021, eligible employees of the University of Maine System will accrue paid Personal Leave in accordance with Maine’s Earned Paid Leave (aka MEPL) law (Public Law 2019 Ch. 156, "An Act Authorizing Earned Employee Leave"). Employees covered by collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) as of 1/1/2021 are excluded until the CBA expires. Contracts negotiated after this date must include this benefit at a minimum.
References to the law include:
- https://www.maine.gov/labor/labor_laws/earnedpaidleave/
- http://legislature.maine.gov/legis/statutes/26/title26sec637-2.html
- https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=SP0110&item=4&snum=129
Eligibility
This policy applies to all temporary employees who are not covered by a collective bargaining contract or the Non-Represented Handbooks.
Temporary Hourly and Salaried
Temporary hourly and salaried employees not covered by ACSUM, Service and Maintenance, Police, UMPSA or the University's Employee Handbooks are covered by this policy.
Temporary Adjunct Faculty
The application of MEPL will be covered by the PATFA collective bargaining agreement.
Regular Non-Represented Faculty including Law Faculty
Temporary faculty non-represented faculty and Law faculty are covered by the Non-Represented Handbook and, therefore, are not covered by this policy.
Temporary Student Workers
Student workers who meet the definition of employee for unemployment reporting purposes are covered by this policy.
Student interns are not covered by this policy. Eligible employees will accrue 1 hour for every 40 hours worked. Accruals will be granted after each on-cycle payroll is processed and will be based on hours paid in that particular paycheck. FLSA non-exempt employees who do not report hours worked will accrue in accordance with their established work schedule at time of hire. Employees who do not record hours, will accrue 1 hour per week worked. Accruals will begin with the first paycheck after the first day of employment after January 1, 2021. Personal Leave balance will be displayed on paychecks available via Employee Self-Service Eligible employees will accrue up to a maximum balance of 40 hours. Unused hours will be carried over to the new calendar year. There is no waiting period for new employees. Employees may use hours after the accrued hours are earned. Employees can use their accrued Personal Leave for any reason such as an emergency, illness, sudden necessity, planned vacation, etc. Employees are required to give up to four (4) weeks’ advance notice to use earned Personal Leave for any reason other than an emergency, illness, or sudden necessity. Employees are required to notify their supervisor as soon as practicable if the use of Personal Leave is for an emergency, illness, or sudden necessity. There is no requirement for employees to show proof of the reason for the absence. Time taken must be reported in 15-minute increments on your MaineStreet timesheet. Employees will be required to use available Personal Leave before being unpaid. For example, if you are late to work your shift or leave early, you are required to use your Personal Leave to cover your absence unless you make up time missed. Employees will not be required to use the leave if the supervisor changes the schedule. Employees cannot use/take more than they were regularly scheduled to work. For example, if an employee is scheduled to work 4 hours on a particular day, they cannot use/take more than 4 hours for that day. Also, if an employee is not scheduled to work on a particular day (i.e. short work break), they cannot use/take paid time. Employees will be paid their normal base rate of pay. Hours taken/used will not be counted toward hours worked for overtime calculations. Paid leave will be charged to the normal departmental chartfields. Student workers funded by Federal Work Study will also have paid personal leave earnings charged directly to the department using 53300 Account. After 12 months of non-employment, hours will be forfeited and removed from record. If rehired within 1 year, prior balance is immediately available. Unused Personal Leave hours when/if hired under a collective bargaining contract will still have accrued Personal Leave balance available for usage. Once eligible for Sick and/or Vacation, Personal Leave must be used before Sick and/or Vacation is used.Accrual Entitlement
Balance
Calendar Year Carry Forward
Usage
Notice
Increments to deduct/report
Pay Rate
General Ledger - Department Charges
At Termination of Employment
