Brief Description: Requiring bereavement leave for employees of four-year institutions of higher education.

Sponsors: Representatives Wallace, Priest, Sullivan, Hasegawa, Chase and Simpson.

Hearing Date: 1/24/08

Staff: Andi Smith (786-7304).

Background:

Policies regarding bereavement leave are relatively consistent across institutions.

Exempt Employees (Non-represented): All institutions provide up to three days of paid bereavement leave per occurrence. Employees may also request to use other forms paid or unpaid leave to extend the time away from work.

Represented Staff: The collective bargaining agreements governing the employees working conditions include negotiation of bereavement leave. Most often, the agreements include access to three days of paid bereavement leave on a similar basis to that provided by the civil service rule.

Faculty: The faculty negotiates contracts with the university that allow them flexibility in taking leave. These contracts do not provide for bereavement leave specifically. Rather, the contract typically provides that faculty members are expected to conduct their research and teach classes, but are otherwise given the equivalent of one month of flexible leave. In addition, faculty members are given up to 30 days of illness leave. Both types of leave can be used for bereavement.

Summary of Bill:

The public four-year institutions must allow up to five days of bereavement leave for all academic, administrative, classified, and exempt employees for each death in the immediate family.

The bill defines "immediate family" as the mother, mother substitute, mother-in-law, father, father substitute, father-in-law, daughter, son, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, spouse, brother, sister, or grandchildren of the employee of any relative living in the employee's immediate household.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Requested on January 16, 2008.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.