BENEFITS

Holidays

Regular full-time employees are entitled to the following paid holidays observed by the Company following their introductory period:

You will be paid for holidays after you have been employed for 90 calendar days if you have worked the scheduled day before and the scheduled work day after the holiday.. No holiday pay will be paid to an employee who is on an unpaid status, on any leave or absent due to workers' compensation. Only full time employees are eligible for paid holidays.

Vacation/Personal time

Vacation/Personal Time provide a break beneficial to both the Company and the employee. Therefore, employees are encouraged to take vacation/personal time annually. All salaried employees will be eligible for paid vacation/personal time according to the following schedule.

1 year = 1 week

2+ years = 2 weeks

Vacation/personal time are scheduled on a calendar year basis. If you were hired before July 31st, you will be eligible for a week’s paid vacation/personal time during the next calendar year. If you were hired after July 31st, you will receive 1/2 day paid vacation/personal time for every full month you have worked through December of your hire year to be used the following year. The basic vacation/personal time allowance is the maximum paid vacation/personal time available to a salaried employee based on their total completed years of service that starts Jan. 1 of the following year after 1 complete year of full time service. Vacation/personal time can be used in half or whole days. Anything missed over 2 hrs. in one day is considered half day.

Part time and non salaried employees are not eligible for paid vacation/personal time. Unused vacation/personal time does not accumulate from year to year.  

Vacation/personal time need to be scheduled with the appropriate manager with sufficient notice so as to not disrupt the workplace.

Sick Leave

The Company allows Sick days to salaried, full time employees as follows:

• 3 days per year.

These days are Non-cumulative, and are based on the calendar year.  An employee who begins his employment after the start of the year will be eligible for sick leave at the beginning of the following year.  Unused sick leave is non-compensable.

To be eligible for paid sick leave, employees must provide proper notification of absence as discussed under the Attendance/Tardiness policy. Employees must give this notification for each day they are absent. Employees may be required to submit, in writing, the reason or reasons for their continued sick leave, the estimated date of return and whether any supplemental income payments are being received or whether application for them is pending. The Company may also require, at any time, written verification from the employee’s doctor.

If an employee’s absence extends beyond the period of accrued sick leave, the employee may submit a request for a leave of absence. Before they return to work, a written statement from the treating doctor may be required stating the employee’s ability to return to their regular duties.

Family Medical Leave

The federal Family & Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) as amended in 2008 and 2013 requires companies with 50 or more employees to provide eligible employees with unpaid leave. The following provides a general overview of two types of leave available, including the basic 12-week leave entitlement (Basic FMLA Leave), as well as the military family leave entitlements (Military Family Leave) described in this policy. Employees with any further questions about their eligibility for FMLA leave should contact Human Resources for more information.

Employees are eligible for FMLA leave if they:

1. Have worked for the Company for at least 12 months in the last 7 years;
2. Have worked at least 1,250 hours for the Company during the 12 calendar months immediately preceding the request for leave; and
3. Are employed at a work site that has 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius

Basic FMLA Leave

Employees who meet the eligibility requirements described above are eligible to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for one of the following reasons:

1.     To care for the employee’s son or daughter during the first 12 months following birth;

2.     To care for a child during the first 12 months following placement with the employee for adoption or foster care;

3.     To care for a spouse, son, daughter, or parent (“covered relation”) with a serious health condition;

4.     For incapacity due to the employee’s pregnancy, prenatal medical or child birth; or

5.     Because of the employee’s own serious health condition that renders the employee unable to perform an essential function of their position.

Military Family Leave

There are two types of Military Family Leave available:

Qualifying exigency leave. Employees meeting the eligibility requirements described above may be entitled to use up to twelve (12) weeks of their Basic FMLA Leave entitlement to address certain qualifying exigencies. Leave may be used if the employee’s spouse, son, or daughter, is on active duty or called to active duty status in the National Guard or Reserves in support of a contingency operation or deployment overseas with the armed forces. Qualifying exigencies may include:

• Short-notice deployment (up to seven (7) days of leave)
• Attending certain military events
• Arranging for alternative childcare
• Addressing certain financial and legal arrangements
• Periods of rest and recuperation for the service member (up to fifteen (15) days of leave)
• Parental Care
• Attending certain counseling sessions
• Attending post-deployment activities (available for up to ninety (90) days after the termination of the covered service member’s active duty status)
• Other activities arising out of the service member’s active duty or call to active duty and agreed upon by the Company and the employee

Leave to care for a covered service member. There is also a special leave entitlement that permits employees who meet the eligibility requirements for FMLA leave to take up to 26 weeks of leave to care for a covered service member during a single 12-month period. A covered service member is a current member of the Armed Forces, including a member of the National Guard or Reserves, who has been rendered medically unfit to perform their duties due to a serious injury or illness incurred in the line of duty or while on active duty, and/or pre-existing injuries or illnesses that were aggravated in the line of duty, that may render the service member medically unfit to perform their duties for which the service member is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy; or is in outpatient status; or is on the temporary disability retired list. In addition, leave will be provided to eligible family members of certain veterans receiving medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy if the veteran was a member of the Armed Forces at any time during the five (5) year period preceding the date of the medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy.

Notice

Employees taking FMLA should provide as much notice as practicable. When the need for leave is foreseeable, 30 days’ advance notice is requested. Employees should make effort to schedule FMLA leave in the least disruptive manner so as not to affect operations. An employee who is taking FMLA leave may be required to report periodically to the Company regarding their status and intent to return to work. An employee who fails to return to work at the expiration of the leave without an approved extension will be considered to have resigned. After the leave, the employee must be restored to the same or essentially-same position held before the leave.

Health Care Benefits

If applicable, health care benefits will be maintained during the leave. The employee is responsible for their portion of the medical insurance premium cost, if any. Failure to pay the employee portion of the health insurance premiums in advance may result in the termination of coverage. If eligible, the employee will receive notification of continuation of benefits.

The Company reserves the right to seek reimbursement from the employee for the medical insurance premiums paid by the Company, on behalf of the employee, while the employee was on FMLA leave if the employee fails to return from FMLA leave for reasons other than the continuation, recurrence or onset of a serious health condition of the employee or the employee’s family member which would otherwise entitle the employee to leave under the FMLA or other circumstances beyond the employee’s control.

Temporary Disability Leave

The Company recognizes that a temporary disability may preclude an employee’s attendance at work. In such cases, the Company does not have a predetermined specified period of time in which this unpaid leave is granted. Rather, the Company will attempt to reasonably accommodate the needs of the employee as well as the needs of the Company. If a leave is granted, any extensions will be subject to the same considerations.

Employees that request a temporary disability leave must do so in writing. That request should be accompanied by a doctor's statement identifying the temporary disability, the date and the estimated date of return and, where appropriate, diagnosis and prognosis. At any time during a temporary leave, the supervisor or manager may request that employees furnish a written statement(s) of their health. Prior to returning to employment with the Company, employees will be required to submit written medical certification of their ability to work, including any restrictions. Upon returning to work, if employees qualify, they will be reinstated to their former position or one that is substantially the same, depending upon the availability of any position at that time.

The Company observes and complies with all federal and state medical leave regulations that pertain to our employees. This includes federal and any state leave provisions that might apply.

Any unused accrued sick leave shall be used prior to the effective date of the temporary disability leave, except for pregnancy disability leave.

Health Insurance

The Company complies with all applicable federal and state laws with regard to health insurance administration. All full-time. Exempt, salaried employees are entitled to benefits under the Company's health and other company-sponsored insurance plans, as may be in effect from time to time. The Company reserves the right to change or terminate health plans or other benefits at any time.

New full-time Salaried employees joining the Company will be eligible for coverage ninety (90) calendar days from the date of employment.

Continuation of Benefits

Under the federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), employees may be allowed to continue their health insurance benefits, at the employee's expense, for up to 18 months after experiencing a qualifying event as outlined below. Longer periods of coverage may be available dependent upon the qualifying event.

To qualify for COBRA continuation coverage, an employee must have a qualifying event that causes the employee to lose group health coverage. The following are qualifying events for:

Employees

• Voluntary or involuntary termination of employment for reasons other than gross misconduct
• Reduction in numbers of hours worked

Spouses

• Loss of coverage by the employee because of one of the qualifying events listed above
• Covered employee becomes eligible for Medicare
• Divorce or legal separation of the covered employee
• Death of the covered employee

Dependent Children

• Loss of coverage because of any of the qualifying events listed for spouses
• Loss of status as a dependent child under the plan rules

Military Leave

If employees are on an extended military leave of absence, they are entitled to be restored to their previously held position or similar position, if available, without loss of any rights, privileges or benefits provided the employee meets the requirements specified in the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).

An employee who is a member of the reserve corps of the armed forces of the United States or of the National Guard or the Naval Militia will be granted temporary leave of absence without pay while engaged in military duty as required by state employment law. A letter from the employee’s commanding officer is required to establish the dates of duty.

Jury Service Leave

If an employee is summoned to report for jury duty, they will be granted a leave of absence when the employee notifies and submits a copy of the original summons for jury duty to their supervisor or manager.

Any fees received for jury duty, including travel fees, are to be retained by the employee. Employees are to report to work on any day, or portion thereof that is not actually spent in the performance of jury service unless the employee has already dedicated eight hours to jury service that day. For each week of jury duty, a certificate of jury service shall be certified by the Court and filed with the Company no later than Wednesday of the following week.

Employees will be paid the difference between their regular wages and any pay from the court during jury duty. Exempt employees will be paid in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requirements.

Witness Leave

If an employee is absent from work to serve as a witness in response to a subpoena in a criminal case, the employee will be granted a witness leave without pay for such time as it is necessary to comply with the request. You are to report to work on any day, or portion thereof, which is not actually spent in the performance of serving as a witness. For each week of witness leave, a certificate of service shall be certified by the Court and filed with the Company no later than Wednesday of the following week.

Employees who have been charged with a crime and are appearing as a criminal defendant are not covered under this policy and will not be provided with leave.

Voting Leave

If an employee cannot vote because of their scheduled work hours, then the employee will be given up to two (2) hours to vote in any election for which the employee is registered to vote. The two (2) hours shall be unpaid. Exempt employees will be paid in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requirements.

Employees must apply for leave prior to Election Day. The Company may specify the time during the day that leave can be taken.

Personal Leave of Absence

Once an employee has been employed as a full-time regular employee of the Company for more than one (1) year, they may request a personal leave of absence without pay. The employee must submit their request in writing and state the date the leave is to begin, the date of return to work and the reasons for the leave. The employee will receive either written approval or denial of the request. If approved, employees must use their leave of absence for the approved reason or purpose. Sick leave, vacation/personal time, seniority and other benefits are not earned during an unpaid leave of absence. Any paid holidays that fall within the leave of absence are not paid. If an employee fails to return to work on the scheduled date of return, the employee will be considered to have abandoned their position and voluntarily terminated their employment.