Article 15 : vacation

15.1 In addition to the continuous service definition inscribed in Article 1.2 of the Agreement, the term 'continuous service' refers to: the period during which the employee has worked for the University and has received from this institution his regular salary; this excludes any period during which the employee has collected long-term disability insurance benefits or during which the payment of his regular salary has been interrupted for any reason whatsoever.

15.2 The length of the vacation leave is determined according to the table below which takes into account the year(s) of continuous service by the employee, based on a 32-hour working week. (**The length of the vacation leave is proportionally adjusted to the various schedules***).

15.3 Each employee with one (1) year but less than four (4) years of continuous service will be entitled to one hundred (100) hours of work of vacation at his regular rate of pay or at the rate of six per cent (6%) of his annual gross earnings of the year in which the vacation has been earned, as stated in Article 15.11, whichever is the greater (As per table 15.2).

15.4 Employees having accumulated four (4) years of continuous service shall be entitled to one hundred and three (103) hours of annual leave. Additional hours of leave shall be granted for each additional year after five (5) years of continuous service, up to one hundred and twenty-eight (128) hours after eight (8) years of service (As per table in 15.2).

15.5 Each employee with nine (9) years but less than fourteen (14) years of continuous service will be entitled to one hundred and thirty-four (134) hours of work of vacation at his regular rate of pay or at the rate of 8% of his annual gross earnings of the year in which the vacation has been earned, as stated in Article 15.11, whichever is the greater. Each additional year of continuous service will give the employee additional hours of leave, up to one hundred and sixty (260) hours after eighteen (18) years of service (As per table in 15.2).

15.6 Each employee with nineteen (19) years of continuous service shall be entitled to one hundred and sixty-seven (167) hours of vacation leave, at his regular rate of pay or at the rate of 10% of his annual gross earnings for the year during which the vacation has been earned, in compliance with Article 15.11, whichever rate gives the higher amount (As per table in 15.2).

15.7 Employees with twenty (20) years but less than twenty-five (25) years of continuous service shall be entitled to one hundred and seventy-five (175) hours of vacation leave, at his regular rate of pay or at the rate of 10.5 % of his annual gross earnings for the year during which the vacation has been earned, in compliance with Article 15.11, whichever rate is the greater (As per table in 15.2).

15.8 

• Employees with twenty-five (25) years but less than thirty-two (32) years of continuous service shall be entitled to two hundred (200) hours of vacation leave, at his regular rate of pay or at the rate of twelve per cent (12%) of his annual gross earnings for the year during which the vacation has been earned in compliance with Article 15.11, whichever rate gives the higher amount (As per table 15.2).
• An employee with thirty-two (32) years of continuous service shall be entitled to two hundred and six (206) hours of annual vacation leave. Each additional years of continuous service will give the employee additional hours of leave, up to two hundred and twenty (220) hours after thirty-four (34) years of continuous service (As per table in 15.2).
• An employees with thirty-five (35) years of continuous service or more will be entitled to an annual leave representing two hundred and thirty-four hours (234) of work, either at his normal pay rate, or at 14% of his gross annual pay for the year in which he has attained the annual leave in accordance with the article 15.11. The higher of the two amounts will be retained (As per table 15.2).

15.9 Vacation leave must be taken during the year in which it is accumulated. However, an employee may carry over to the following year a maximum of eighty (80) working hours provided he uses up these hours of leave before November 1st of the said year. Employees must inform their supervisor before December 1st of each year of their intention to carry over a certain number of leave hours.

• Vacation leave may be used as it is accumulated monthly during the year, on a prorate basis linked to the accumulations indicated in Articles 15.2 to 15.8.
• Except for staff on probation, up to 10 un-accumulated vacation leave days may be borrowed and used.
• The accumulation of vacation leave is prorated to the continuous months of service worked, in compliance with Articles 15.2 to 15.8.

15.10 The periods during which each employee shall take this vacation within the vacation year shall be determined as provided in Article 15.11.

15.11 Employees who are entitled to one hundred (100) hours of vacation leave or more may take, according to the schedule, from thirty-two (32) consecutive working hours to sixty-four (64) consecutive working hours during the period which starts the 1st of June and ends September 30th of each vacation year. For the vacation period which runs from January 1st to April 30th, employees who, by virtue of this article, are entitled to vacation leave must notify their Division Head, before December 1st of each year, of the time at which they prefer to take their leave; for the vacation period which runs from May 1st to December 31st, these employees must give such notice before April 1st of each year. Employees shall have vacation choices granted according to their seniority in the Power Plant Division.

15.12 

• The normal vacation year:

• The normal vacation year shall be between January 1st and December 31st inclusive. A maximum of three (3) employees within the Operations Division will be allowed on leave (vacation, floating holidays, scheduled days off for overtime worked, scheduled days off for statutory holidays worked and leave of absence without pay) at any given time during the normal vacation year.

• The vacation prime period:

• The prime vacation period goes from June 1st to September 30th inclusively. Employees who are entitled to more than sixty-four (64) hours of vacation leave may take during this period from thirty-two (32) consecutive working hours to sixty-four (64) consecutive working hours, according to the schedule. Employees wishing to split their leave during the prime period may do so, but are allowed to use their seniority standing only once. If employees select their holidays prior to April 1st for the May 1 - Dec. 31 vacation period, they are offered a second choice, subject to their seniority in the Power Plant Division.

15.13 Employees eligible for a higher accumulation of vacation leave by reason of their years of continuous service accumulated under Articles 15.3 to 15.7 shall have this accumulation changed on the anniversary date of their appointment, which corresponds to the required number of years of continuous service.

15.14 Employees having acquired the right to three (3) weeks (ninety-six (96) hours), four (4) weeks (one hundred and twenty-eight(128) hours), five (5) weeks (one hundred and sixty (160) hours), six (6) weeks (one hundred and ninety-two (192)hours), or seven (7) weeks (two hundred and twenty-four (224) hours) of vacation leave shall take the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh week of leave during a period upon which they will have agreed with the University.

Should a conflict arise, the University shall consider a) the requirements of the position, b) the wishes of the employee, c) the employee's seniority in the Power Plant Division.

15.15 Employees eligible for a higher accumulation of vacation leave by reason of their years of continuous service accumulated under Articles 15.4 to 15.8 shall have this accumulation changed on the anniversary date of their appointment, which corresponds to the required number of years of continuous service.

15.16 Vacation pay for operating employees shall exclude the amounts incorporated into the regular wage and paid over 24 pay periods annually. This calculation is based on the percentage of allowance determined in Article 15, on all the hours regularly scheduled for shift premiums, weekend premiums and statutory holiday premiums.

15.17 All leave forms must be signed by the employee and by the Director or an authorized representative. Physical Resources Services is responsible for sending leave forms to Human Resources Service as quickly as possible.

• Human Resources Service is responsible for recording all leaves in the employee's file.