Full-time employees shall be granted vacation leaves with pay at regular rate as follows:

Effective with the pay period that begins August 30, 2009, the above chart shall be changed as follows. Any employee who is in their 4th, 9th, 14th, 19thor 24thyear of service on August 30, 2009 shall receive an additional pro-rated amount.

Employees may use their accrued leave at the completion of their probationary period.

Effective July 1, 2010 employees who provide valid documentation to their agency's Human Resources department shall receive credit for prior service with the State, the Ohio National Guard, or any political subdivision of the State for purposes of computing vacation leave in accordance with ORC 9.44. This new rate shall take effect starting the pay period immediately following the pay period that includes the date that the Department of Administrative Services processes and approves their request. Time spent concurrently with the Ohio National Guard and a state agency or political subdivision shall not count double. An employee who has retired in accordance with the provisions of any retirement plan offered by the State and who is hired by the State on or after March 1, 1994, shall not have his/her prior service with the State or any political subdivision of the State counted for the purpose of computing vacation leave.

Vacation credit may be accumulated to a maximum that can be earned in three (3) years. Further accumulation will not continue when the maximum is reached. When an employee's vacation reaches the maximum level, and if the employee has been denied vacation during the past twelve (12) months, the employee will be paid for the time denied.

 37.03 Eligible Employees

All bargaining unit members will earn and be granted vacation. Part-time employees shall earn vacation on a prorated basis.

1. Vacation leave shall be taken only at times mutually agreed to by the Employer and the employee. The Employer may establish minimum staffing levels for a facility work location which could restrict the number of concurrent vacation leave requests which may be granted for that work location.

2. The Employer shall grant first priority to vacation leave requests received at least six (6) months, but not more than one (1) year, prior to commencement of the requested vacation leave period. Such vacation requests shall be granted with preference to employees with the greatest classification seniority. Vacation leave requests received less than six (6) months prior to the commencement of the requested vacation leave period shall be granted with preference to requests from employees with the greatest classification seniority. Requests received more than six (6) months prior to the commencement of the requested vacation leave period shall receive priority over requests received less than six (6) months prior to the commencement of the requested vacation leave period regardless of seniority.

3. Notification of disapproval or approval (i.e., subject to proper seniority pick) will be given to the requesting employee within two (2) weeks of the submission of the request. Denial of approved vacation time will be based on reasonably unanticipated staffing demands and use of vacation leave shall not be unreasonably denied.

4. All other requests for vacation leave shall be made at least twenty-eight (28) days prior to the commencement of the requested vacation leave period. Requests made less than twenty-eight (28) days prior to the commencement of the vacation leave period may be considered by the Employer but need not be approved, regardless of staffing needs.

5. When an emergency exists, as provided by Article 61, all vacation leave requests may be denied, including those requests already approved. If an employee is called back to work from a scheduled vacation leave period due to operational needs, the employee will have the right to take the vacation leave at a later time. Said employee will be compensated at time and one-half of his/her base rate for the time the employee is on recall status.

Upon termination for any reason, all vacation leave balances will be paid at regular rate to the employee at the time that the employee received his/her pay check for the final pay period of work. Employees separating from employment with less than one year total service will not be paid for any accrued vacation hours.

Newly accrued vacation leave is not available for use until it appears on the employee’s earnings statement.