• Holidays
• Vacation
• Sick Leave/Family Sick Leave
• Leave Donation Plan
• Family, Medical, and Pregnancy Disability Leave
• Bereavement Leave
• Military Leave
• Leave Without Pay
• Jury Duty
• Witness Leave

Holidays

The City of Riverside observes the following holidays:

Additionally, some units receive Lincoln's Birthday, February 12. The Refuse Unit receives Cesar Chavez Day, which is the last Monday in March.

Whenever a holiday falls on Saturday, the preceding Friday will be the holiday. If a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday will be the holiday unless specifically described differently in the MOU.

Departments/divisions which require 24-hour operations or special hours of operation may have special holiday arrangements. Check with your supervisor to find out your actual holiday schedule.
 

Vacation

As a regular City employee, you earn vacation time for each month of service. The amount earned varies by bargaining unit and employee work schedule. Earned vacation for full time employees varies from 80 hours to a maximum of 306 hours annually, depending upon years of service, class of work, and bargaining unit. Regular part-time employees accrue vacation on a prorated basis.

Vacation leave shall be scheduled and approved by the Department Head or designee, with consideration of the employees’ desires and needs of the department. Vacation credit may be accumulated, but may not exceed that which is allowed for two (2) years accrual as of January 1st.
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Sick Leave/Family Leave

Regular full-time employees earn paid sick leave credit at the rate of eight (8) hours for each calendar month of paid employment, or 96 hours per year. General Unit employees accrue sick leave at the rate of four (4) hours for each calendar month of employment, or 48 hours per year for the first two (2) years of employment. Regular part-time employees working 20-29 hours per week earn paid sick leave credit at one-half the regular rate. Employees working 30-39 hours per week earn at three-fourths the regular rate

Regular part-time employees working 20-29 hours per week earn paid sick leave credit at one-half the regular rate. Employees working 30-39 hours per week earn at three-fourths the regular rate. You are able to use sick leave upon accrual.

Sick leave is available for use in case of illness or injury off the job and for medical and dental appointments. Employees may also use sick leave to care for a spouse, child, or parent. If unable to report to work due to illness, employees must notify their supervisors before the normal starting time, or use the procedure specified by their supervisors.
 

Leave Donation Plan

This plan allows you as a City employee to donate your accrued vacation leave to another employee who has exhausted all of their paid leave as a result of a catastrophic illness or injury to themselves or a member of their immediate family. Sick leave, compensatory time, holiday accruals, or any other form of compensation cannot be donated through this plan.

Family, Medical, and Pregnancy Disability Leave

Under the City’s Family, Medical, and Pregnancy Disability Leave policy, if you have more than one year of service with the City and have worked at least 1,250 hours during the preceding 12-month period, you may request up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave for certain family and medical reasons.
 
Reasons for a leave may include a) the birth of the employee’s child and in order to care for the child, b) the placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care, c) to care for a spouse, child, or parent who has a serious health condition, or d) a serious health condition that renders the employee incapable of performing the functions of his or her job. Medical certification from the health care provider shall be submitted by the employee in conjunction with the leave request.

All female employees, regardless of service time, are eligible to take an unpaid leave on account of a disability caused or contributed to by pregnancy, childbirth, or recovery there from, for a reasonable period of time not to exceed four (4) months. Pregnancy Disability Leave is separate from family and medical leave. For example, a female employee may qualify for up to four months of pregnancy disability leave and still be eligible for up to 12 weeks of family and medical leave to care for the newborn child or for any other valid use of family and medical leave.

Employees shall draw upon any accrued sick leave or vacation, for which they are eligible to use, prior to beginning unpaid leave of absence status. Employees will continue to be eligible for health benefits during the period of the leave under the same conditions that applied before leave commenced for a maximum of twelve weeks.

If you normally pay a portion of the premiums for your health and dental insurance, these payments will continue during the period of Family, Medical, and/or Pregnancy Disability Leave. After exhausting available paid leave, you will be required to make arrangements with the Human Resources Department for payment of your share of health and dental premiums. You have a 30-day grace period in which to make payment. If payment is made beyond that, your group health and dental insurance will be canceled. You are responsible for maintaining dues with your employee association if required.

Employees returning from leave shall submit a return to work statement from their health care provider, and will be reinstated to the same or an equivalent position. Employees who require leave beyond family, medical, and pregnancy disability leave may request leave without pay in accordance with the City’s “Leave of Absence with Pay (General)” Policy. If you do not return to work following leave for a reason other than 1) the continuation, recurrence, or onset of a serious health condition which would entitle you to Family, Medical, and/or Pregnancy Disability Leave; or 2) other circumstances beyond your control, you may be required to reimburse the City’s share of health and dental insurance paid on your behalf during your leave.
 

Bereavement Leave

Up to one work week (40 hours) may be granted to a full-time regular employee who experiences a death of any relative of the first degree by blood or marriage or any relative with whom they reside within the same household. Up to one work day of family bereavement leave may be granted to a full-time employee who experiences a death of a family member of the second degree not living under the same roof.

Employees employed between 20 to 29 hours per week may be granted one-half of the applicable leave and employees employed between 30 to 39 hours per week may be granted three-fourths of the applicable leave. Based on the provisions above, bereavement leave may be granted as follows:

1 Employees in the Public Utilities Field and Supervisory Units are provided one (1) week for the death of a grandchild.

2 One (1) week is provided for the death of an employee’s brother-in-law or sister-in-law of the first degree which refers to the employee’s spouse’s sibling.

One (1) day is provided for the death of an employee’s brother-in-law or sister-in-law of the second degree which refers to the employee’s sibling’s spouse, OR the employee’s spouse’s sibling’s spouse.
 

Military Leave

Regular employees with at least one year of City service and/or military service are entitled to receive their regular salary and compensation as City employees for the first thirty (30) calendar days of such leave in any fiscal year (this time limit shall include any time under temporary leave in that same fiscal year) if, as members of a National Guard or Reserve Unit, they are called to active duty or for regular training. Employees presenting orders cut to exclude weekends or regular days off from a period of temporary military duty may, at the discretion of the department head, be given the option of either being scheduled for work on those regularly scheduled days off or, if they are not available to report for work, of having those days credited as military leave.

Leave Without Pay

You may, depending on the reasons, be granted a leave of absence without pay for up to 30 days with Department Head approval, and up to 90 days with the Department Head and Human Resources Director’s approval. Any leave longer than 90 days up to a maximum of one (1) year must have approval of the City Manager. Leave of absence beyond a one (1) year period must be approved by the City Council.

No benefits accrue during the unpaid leave. Consideration of future merit increases is extended by the length of leave and the employee has to assume payment of all normally City paid benefits.
 

Jury Duty

Regular employees summoned to serve on jury duty will receive their regular salary, but must relinquish the daily fee received as a juror to the Payroll Division. Mileage will be refunded to the employee.

When serving on jury duty, you shall be required to report for work if starting time is more than one hour before jury duty, and must return to work at any time released from jury duty, unless you would arrive at the work site with less than one hour remaining on your regular shift or adjusted work schedule.
 

Witness Leave

If you are subpoenaed to appear in a court of law as a witness, you will receive your regular pay for any regularly scheduled work time spent answering the subpoena. This rule does not apply if you are a party in a civil action, a defendant in a criminal matter, or in any action brought about as a result of your own misconduct. To receive your regular pay while on Witness Leave, give your supervisor a copy of the subpoena and proof of the time spent as a witness. You must also deposit all fees received for such service, exclusive of mileage, with the Finance Division.