Article 31

Time and Leave

Section 1--Leave Increments

All absences will be charged in increments of one-quarter (1/4) hour.

Section 2--Annual Leave

A.  Employees shall accrue leave in accordance with statute and regulations of the Office of Personnel Management.

Annual leave is provided and used to allow employees an annual vacation period of extended leave for rest and recreation and to provide periods of time off for personal and emergency purposes.  The use of accrued annual leave is the right of the employee, subject to the right of the Employer to approve the time at which leave may be taken.  Employees should apply in advance for approval of all anticipated leave to permit the orderly scheduling of leave and to avoid leave forfeitures which might otherwise result.

B.  Normally, leave requested in advance will be granted except where conflicts of scheduling or undue interference with the work of the Administration would preclude it.  Leave may also be granted when it is not scheduled in advance and business permits.  Leave for personal emergencies, ordinarily infrequent in number, will be granted unless there is an operational exigency which requires the employee's presence.    The Employer will make every effort to allow the maximum number of employees to use leave.

C. 1. Advanced annual leave is leave time requested on an SF-71,    approved by the delegated authority and taken but not yet earned by the    employee.

2.  An employee may be advanced, at the beginning of the leave year or at    anytime thereafter, such annual leave as he or she may be expected to    accrue during the leave year.

D.  During the months of February and August of each year, employees will be notified to submit requests for extended annual leave of one calendar week or more and/or requests for days immediately preceding and following holidays for the six (6) month periods April through September and October through March, respectively.  Such written requests should be submitted to the appropriate leave approving official by the last day of February and August, respectively.

When conflicts arise in scheduling annual leave (A/L) requests received