Inclement Weather Policy
When inclement weather threatens operations at UW-Eau Claire, the Chancellor may close the University to the public, or may cancel classes, but State Employees are expected to report to work.
Announcements will be made by the local media in regard to canceling classes and/or closing the University to the public. The chancellor will notify the local media of changes in university operation. However, announcements by local media are advisory only. For official information, call the Chancellor's Office at 836-2327 after 7:00 a.m., or call your supervisor.
In response to local weather conditions, the Chancellor may release employees. In such instances, no employee will be required to remain at work. However, most classified staff employees are required to make up released time.
ACCOUNTING FOR TIME OFF
Employees covered by a labor agreement: The respective bargaining agreements contain provisions for excusing employees from work and they address questions relating to eligibility for pay. Most of our non-supervisory classified staff are covered by the Wisconsin State Employees Union (WSEU) or the Wisconsin Professional Employees Council (WPEC) bargaining agreements; and those agreements require use of vacation time; personal holiday time; accrued compensatory time; time off without pay; or, if the supervisor approves, making up time during the same week to cover the absence. Applicable differentials apply to make-up time. The WSEU bargaining agreement covers this issue in Article XI, sec. 8; the WPEC agreement discusses it in Article IX, Section 17. The wording in both reads as follows for employees who earn overtime pay for working more than 40 hours a week ("non-exempt" employees):
Employees who report late to work after having made an earnest effort to report to work on time but were unable to do so because of inclement weather or severe storm or heeding an official travel advisory issued by the State patrol...of road closings shall be allowed to work to make up for lost time during the current work week (including Saturdays, if the employee's work unit is in operation) as scheduled by the Employer. Make-up shall be at the regular rate of pay. Where situations described above occur on the last day of the work week and the employer cannot schedule the employee for make-up time, the employee may elect to use vacation, personal holiday, compensatory time off or leave without pay. If the employee elects leave without pay, there shall be no pro-ration of benefits.
When the employer approves employee requests not to report for work or allows employees to leave work before the end of the workday because of hazardous driving conditions or other reasons, the time the employee is absent will be charged to vacation, holiday, or compensatory time credits or leave without pay or the employee may make up time lost on that day, as the employee requests. Make-up shall be at the regular rate in the work week in which the emergency situation occurs (including Saturday, if the employee's work unit is in operation). If the employee elects leave without pay, there shall be no pro-ration of benefits
Employees not covered by a labor agreement:
While employees are expected to report to work as scheduled, they may request or be excused from work when they believe that weather conditions or emergency situations make it unsafe to get to, or remain at, work. Whether or not the non-represented employee is expected to make up the excused time depends on the employee's designation under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) as either "nonexempt" or "exempt."
- A nonexempt employee must be paid or given compensatory time off for overtime worked and must use vacation, compensatory time, personal holiday(s), or leave without pay to cover time lost. With supervisory approval, they may also be able to make up time lost, during the current work week.
- An exempt employee does not earn overtime compensation nor does the employee have his or her pay reduced for absences of less than a full day. The supervisor, however, could require such time be made up at a later date.
How do you know whether you are a nonexempt employee or an exempt employee? Human Resources makes that determination; but, generally speaking, nonexempt employees fill out time sheets.
In the event employees are released from work, nonexempt employees can opt to use accrued vacation time, compensatory time, personal holiday(s), take leave without pay, or make up the lost time at a time scheduled by the supervisor during the current work week. Exempt employees do not use leave time or leave without pay for partial-day absences, but the supervisor could require that the lost time be made up.
NOTE: Emergency situations could necessitate temporary assignment of work which is not normally performed or described in an employee's position description. In addition, emergencies could necessitate releasing employes from assignments for periods of time for their own safety or well-being, or even in a temporary interchange of employees between agencie
