In 2006 the Union and the Board negotiated a Catastrophic Sick Leave policy that allows members to donate up to 10 days of their accumulated sick leave to a "bank." The policy was created to help any member of the bargaining unit who is currently absent due to a catastrophic, long-term, life-threatening illness or accident, who has exhausted all of his/her sick leave, and has applied but not yet been approved for STRS or SERS disability. In 2020, the Union and the Board added catastrophic leave for any member of the bargaining unit who is currently absent due to a member of the immediate household's catastrophic, long-term, life-threatening illness or accident and has exhausted all of his/her accumulated sick leave. In this situation, members are eligible to receivge up to twenty (20) days of sick leave donated by other members of the bargaining unit.
The concept is to provide a safety net for our members who are faced with a loss of income and benefits and are dealing with serious health conditions. Keep in mind that donations go to the "bank" and are not earmarked for a particular individual. We do not reccomend that members with a low accumulation of days contribute to the bank, but it is a personal choice. Members wishing to make a donation can do so by filling out a form (posted below).