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Home My WebLink About0601 Vacation52 601 Vacation Regular full-time and regular part-time employees are eligible for vacation according to the guidelines set forth in this policy. Employees may have an accumulation of vacation hours, which is greater than the allowable limit during the calendar year. They are encouraged to use these vacation hours during the calendar year because the total accrued will be reduced on January 1 of each year to reflect only the maximum allowable benefit to be carried forward. .01 All employees, including non-certified police under a 12-month probationary period, are eligible to take vacation after six (6) months of employment. If an employee’s initial probationary period is extended beyond six months, the Department Head may notify Human Resources to delay accruals until the end of the extended probationary period. .02 Vacation pay will be based on the employee's straight-time pay rate when the benefit is taken. It does not include shift differentials, incentive pay, bonuses or other special forms of compensation. .03 Vacation leave must be approved in advance by the Department Head or their designee (except where Family Medical Leave Policy applies) to ensure that it does not interfere with normal department operations. .04 If vacation leave is being taken for an FMLA qualifying event, the requirements of the City's FMLA policy must be met. .05 Vacation leave will be charged only for time during which the employee would ordinarily have worked. .06 Vacation leave shall not be earned for any month during which an employee is in pay status for less than half the standard number of paid days for their job. .07 Vacation accruals may not be used during any portion of an absence due to an on the job injury in which the employee is receiving or may become eligible to receive any form of worker’s compensation income benefits (temporary income benefits or impairment income benefits) or City supplemental wage benefits. .08 Employees being transferred, promoted, or demoted shall retain their current accrued vacation and accrual rate. .09 Vacation leave is not transferable between employees. .10 If a City department, division or unit is open for business and the employee is required to work on a City designated holiday and the employee’s vacation falls during this holiday, both the holiday and vacation shall be paid. The employee’s vacation accruals will be charged. .11 All eligible full-time employees shall earn a pro-rata vacation amount each pay period provided they are in pay status for more than half the standard number of paid days during the month for their job and may begin taking vacation leave after successful completion of their initial probation with their Department Head’s approval in not less than 15-minute increments as this is the smallest increment of time recorded for 53 timekeeping purposes. (1) firefighters on 24-hour shift with (a) less than 49 months of service, accrue 180 hours per year (b) at least 49 months but less than 133 months, accrue 216 hours per year (c) at least 133 months but less than 253 months of service, accrue 252 hours per year (d) 253 months of service or more, accrue 288 hours per year. NOTE: Firefighters temporarily assigned to eight (8) hour shifts will continue to accrue vacation the same as firefighters assigned to 24-hour shifts. However, if firefighters are temporarily assigned to eight (8) hour shifts and use vacation during this period, they will be charged 12 hours of vacation. (2) other full-time employees with (a) less than 49 months of service, accrue 120 hours per year (b) at least 49 months but less than 133 months of service, accrue 144 hours per year (c) at least 133 months but less than 253 months of service, accrue 168 hours per year (d) 253 months of service or more, accrue 192 hours per year (3) any current employee who is earning vacation greater than the rates of accrual set forth herein shall be grandfathered to continue at their current rate until such time has elapsed that they fall within these established guidelines. .12 The maximum vacation carryover shall be one and one-half times the employee’s current annual accrual rate. .13 Payment shall be made for accruals of unused vacation upon a change to part-time, casual or seasonal status, separation, retirement, or death of the employee, provided however that the employee has successfully completed their initial probationary period with the City and has not been discharged as a result of criminal or civil misconduct involving City property, personnel, or official position. Payment shall be made for accruals above the employee’s new maximum when an employee changes from regular full-time to regular part-time status. .14 All regular part-time employees shall accrue vacation leave in proportion to hours budgeted for their position with maximum accrual never to exceed the proportionate 54 amount earned by a regular full-time employee with less than 49 months of service (see .11(2)(a) above) provided they are in pay status for more than half the standard number of paid days during the month for their job. .15 All regular part-time employees who move to regular full-time employment status shall earn vacation accruals according to the same schedule as any other new full- time employee (see .11 above), unless the employee previously worked as a full- time employee and their hours were involuntarily reduced due to lack of work or lack of funds. .16 Full-time employees who involuntarily move to regular part-time, part-time, casual or seasonal status due to lack of work or lack of funds and later return to full-time status with no break in service before, during or after such change shall return to the same tier of vacation accruals they were earning previously as a full-time employee. They shall be given credit only for the number of years previously worked as a full-time employee, for the purpose of determining which tier of vacation accruals they should earn. .17 Exempt employees may be subject to a pay reduction for time not worked because no leave accruals are available or all accruals have been exhausted. Reductions to pay will only be made when exempt employees are in an unpaid status for a full workday, not when they are in pay status for any portion of their regular workday. This reduction will not affect the employee’s FLSA exempt status. .18 Employees participating in charity or other social events such as golf tournaments, whether sponsored by the City of Grapevine or not, will schedule vacation for the day/hours which coincide with their regular work day/hours unless the employee is attending as a function of their official employment role. Very few employees will be required to attend a function as part of their official employment role. A. If the employee who is attending as part of their official employment role chooses to consume alcohol at the event, the employee will schedule vacation for the entire day. See Human Resources Manual policy 905. Drug and Alcohol Policy section .16 Social Functions for additional information. The employee will not drive any City vehicles or equipment to or from the event. Additionally, the employee will not operate any City-owned motorized equipment at the event that is not available to the general public to use. B. If the employee is attending as part of their official employment role and consuming alcohol is also part of their official employment role at the event (e.g., a golf tournament sponsored by a Grapevine-based winery), the employee will not be required to schedule vacation for the entire day. However, the employee’s breath alcohol concentration will not exceed 0.04 (reference Human Resources Manual policy 905. Drug and Alcohol policy, section .01 Definitions, Definition of “Substance Abuse,” subsection (2)). 55 The employee who consumes alcohol as part of their official employment role at the event will not drive any City vehicles or equipment to or from the event. Additionally, the employee will not operate any City-owned motorized equipment at the event that is not available to the general public to operate. Revised 04/14/2017 Revised 06/09/2019 Revised 06/16/2021