Holidays – and days off – are just around the corner

University of Oregon faculty and staff can look forward to several days off as the 2012 holiday season makes its approach, beginning with Thanksgiving on Nov. 22.

Most UO employees will be off-duty on Thanksgiving day and the Friday following the holiday. The university also will be closed on Tuesday, Dec. 25, and on Tuesday, Jan. 1, in observance of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

Unclassified employees have Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 off as paid holidays. In addition, Governor Kitzhaber has granted the traditional special day of leave (Governor's Day) for unclassified employees (i.e., officers of administration, instruction and research), which may be used the workday before or after Christmas or New Year's Day. 

Under the collective bargaining agreement, SEIU-represented classified employees have Dec. 24, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 off as paid holidays. In addition, the SEIU collective bargaining agreement grants classified employees another day off, called the "special day" of leave (Article 42, section 2), which may be used the workday before or after the Christmas holidays or New Year's Day. Full-time employees receive eight hours of leave, prorated for part-time. The special day of leave is not granted to temporary employees. 

Because classified employees have Dec. 24 off, the university’s workforce will be significantly reduced that day. To address operational difficulties this presents, three options are available.

Units may:

·      Close completely

·      Remain fully open to the public, or

·      Designate Dec. 24 an “administrative day,” on which officers of administration or others may choose to work, but offices are closed to the public. 

Last year, most units either closed completely or exercised the “administrative day” option, rather than remaining open. If units close, OAs and other unclassified staff will need to use paid leave, unpaid leave, or the Governor’s Day for Dec. 24.

Campus Operations staff will collect and publish a list of those units that will remain open to the public on Dec. 24. 

If your unit plans to be open to the public, please notify Campus Operations Customer Service at csc@uoregon.edu by Dec. 1. A list of those buildings open to the public will then be shared and buildings will be unlocked accordingly. Heating systems will not be affected in buildings where units are open or opt for the “administrative day.” 

Printing and Mailing Services:  Article 23 of the Teamsters Local #206 agreement describes holiday options for Teamsters-represented employees.

For more information, see:

http://hr.uoregon.edu/policies-leaves/holidays/december-holidays

- by Aria Seligmann, UO Office of Strategic Communications