[Publib] Sick Leave

[James Casey]

Our library provides long term disability insurance that is supposed to
assist when sick leave is exhausted.  It doesn't provide as much
assistance as sick leave, but it is better than most people have.  

It is a disgrace that there isn't some basic provision of health care
for all people in this country.  The marketplace doesn't "take care" of
those who can't afford health insurance.  Hundreds of billions of
dollars are squandered on mismanaged wars and on tax cuts for the
wealthy while millions of people on the edge of destitution or death due
to the lack of basic health insurance.

I'm not sure how one could manage the "donation" of sick leave to other
folks any more than the voluntary loaning of money between staff persons
could be regulated within the context of Library policy.  In huge
corporations where the bank is vast and thousands of employees are
involved, it might be plausible.  But in a Library setting with a few
staff or a few dozen (at most) the scale of activity would not permit
much overall fairness.  I think that benefits -- like earned salaries --
should remain with the employee who earned them and that the Library
must avoid involving itself with the voluntary donation of assets
between staff.

James B. Casey --- My own views
Director of Oak Lawn Public Library  



-----Original Message-----
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Denise Johnson
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 8:39 AM
To: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Publib] Sick Leave

A former employer claimed they paid differently into the insurance or
retirement plan for sick leave days and for annual leave days. I know I
am mis-stating their reason. But I remember it had something to do with
either the insurance and/or retirement. This employer was self-insured
so I think it was the insurance. They were a good City employer and I
apologize for not being able to remember their reasoning. I never knew
the department head of either the finance department or the human
resources to "lie." to us. But that was their reason for not combining
sick and annual leave. 

In my present situation the employees have a cap as to the number of
sick leave hours that can be saved (900 hours). When you leave,
depending on the number of years you worked for the employer, you are
paid for a percentage of those days. We also have a sick bank and
employees who have used their sick leave and annual leave may apply to
this "sick leave bank" and be given sick time donated by other
employees. I am sure this can be "abused" by becoming a popularity
contest: "I like this person, so I will donate sick time." or "I don't
like that person, so I won't donate time." However, one of the criteria
for "receiving" time from this bank is that the illness be one of the
significantly time consuming illnesses or surgeries. Time is not awarded
for an employee who has used all available sick time and annual leave
and then gets the flu. 

Denise Johnson, County Librarian
Midland County Public Library
301 W. Missouri Ave
Midland, TX 79701
Direct Phone:(432) 688-4333
Fax: (432) 688-4939
e-mail denise_johnson at co.midland.tx.us
Main Library number (432) 688-4320


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