Benefits-eligible employees earn 12 holidays per year and accrue vacation and sick leave on a monthly basis. Part-time employees are eligible for leave on a prorated basis, provided their position is budgeted for, and they are assigned to work at least 20 hours per week.

Vacation

Generally, vacation accrual rates are based on an employee’s years of service to the utility in accordance with the Vacation Accrual Rates table. However, when establishing vacation accrual rates for new hires, employees may receive partial to full service credit for prior relevant experience. This enables LOTT to attract experienced staff from other employers by more closely matching the rate that they earn leave with their current employers, rather than being required to “start over” at the lowest accrual rate.

Holidays

Benefits-eligible employees of the LOTT Alliance earn the following paid holidays:

Two Personal Holidays   New Year’s Day             Martin Luther King Day   President’s Day Memorial Day                Independence Day          Labor Day                     Veterans Day
Thanksgiving Day          Thanksgiving Day Friday  Christmas Day

Sick Leave

Benefits-eligible full-time employees earn 8 hours of sick leave per month. Accrual rates are pro-rated for benefits-eligible part-time employees. Use of sick leave is allowed for the employee’s own illness and health care, or when an employee must assist in the care of members of their immediate family.

Shared Leave

LOTT has established a Shared Leave Program. This allows employees to donate sick leave or vacation to assist a coworker who has exhausted their own leave due to an extraordinarily severe illness, injury, or other health condition. This program has been helpful in recruiting experienced staff from other employers. For long-tenured employees, the idea of leaving a substantial bank of sick leave accruals may prevent them from seeking a position with a new employer. LOTT’s Shared Leave Program provides a safety net for recently hired employees who have not yet amassed an adequate balance of sick leave to cover absences due to a serious health issue (either their own or that of a member of their immediate family).

Other Types of Leave

Bereavement – LOTT provides up to three days of paid Bereavement Leave for benefits-eligible employee in the event of a death in an employee’s immediate family. In extraordinary circumstances, or in the event of a death in the employee’s extended family, additional leave may be approved and charged to an employee’s sick leave or other leave accrual banks.

Jury Duty – Benefits-eligible employees called to Jury Duty receive their regular compensation during their jury service and are not required to use accrued leave.

Community Service Day – Benefits-eligible employees may also receive one paid Community Service Day per calendar year to perform volunteer work for non-profit or public organization within Thurston County.

Compensatory Time – Overtime-eligible employees may elect, by mutual agreement with their supervisor, to accrue compensatory time in lieu of overtime pay. For each overtime hour worked, the employee earns 1.5 hours of compensatory time that can be banked and used at a later date. Up to 120 hours of compensatory time may be accrued.