HomeMy Public PortalAbout12 December 2, 1998 Personnel81081
RIVERSIDE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
Personnel Committee Meeting
(Commissioners Bob Buster, Alex Clifford Dick Kelly)
2:00 P.M.
Wednesday, December 2, 1998
RCTC Offices, 3560 University Avenue, Riverside
1 Call to Order
2 Public Comments
3 Amended RCTC Personnel Rules and Regulations
Overview
In an effort to have a complete rules and regulations for RCTC presented is a draft
amended Personnel Rules and Regulations
4 Adjournment
11.36.8
RIVERS/DE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMM/SS/ON
DATE:
December 2, 1998
TO:
Personnel Committee
FROM:
Naty Kopenhaver, Director of Administrative Services
THROUGH:
Eric Haley, Executive Director
SUBJECT:
RCTC Personnel Policies and Procedures
The existing Personnel Policies and Procedures for the Riverside County Transportation
Commission were approved in segments Also, the Commission in the past, followed
the County of Riverside's personnel rules. With the increase of staffing level, the
Commission needs to set its own rules
With the Personnel Committee (Commissioners Bob Buster, Alex Clifford, Dick Kelly)
and Legal Counsel review of the policies and procedure, these will be included in the
Commission's agenda packet for the December 9, 1998 meeting for approval
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RIVERSIDE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
PERSONNEL POLICIES
AND PROCEDURES MANUAL
DRAFT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
RULE 1 GENERAL PROVISIONS
RULE 2
Section 1 1 Purpose
Section 1 2 Pnor Policies Repealed
Section 1 3 Term of Personnel Manual
Section 1 4 Non -Discrimination
Section 1 5 Violation of Personnel Policy
Section 1 6 Department Policies and Procedures
Section 1 7 Distribution of Personnel Policies
Section 1 8 Definition of Terms
Section 1.9 Application of Personnel Rules
Section 1 10 Savings Clause
RECRUITMENT, SELECTION AND PLACEMENT
Section 2 1 Classification Plan
Section 2 2 Reclassification
Section 2 3 Vacancies
Section 2 4 Personnel Requisitions
Section 2 5 Announcements
Section 2.6 Qualification of Applicants
Section 2 7 Submitting applications
Section 2 8 Incomplete applications
Section 2 9 Disqualification
Section 2 10 Offer of Employment
Section 2 11 Keys and Secunty Codes
RULE 3 TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT
Section 3 1 Salary Schedule Adoption
Section 3 2 Probationary period
Section 3 3 Promotion
Section 3 4 Demotion
Section 3 5 Suspension
Section 3 6 Reinstatement
Section 3 7 Termination
Section 3 8 Onentation
Section 3 9 Attendance
Section 3 10 Nepotism
Section 3.11 Compensation
Section 3 12 Annual Salary Review
Section 3 13 Performance Evaluations
Section 3 14 Rest Penods
Section 3.15 Notice of Resignation
Section 3 16 Death of Employee
Section 3 17 Political Activity
Section 3 18 Alcohol and Drug Policy
Section 3 19 Smoking Policy
Section 3 20 Service Awards
Section 3 21 Safety
Section 3 22 Workplace Related Violence
RULE 4 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Section 4 1 Benefit Plan
Section 4.2 Medical Plan
Section 4 3 Short and Long Term Disability Insurance
Section 4 4 Life Insurance
Section 4 5 Dental/Optical Program
Section 4.6 Retirement Program
Section 4.7 401(a) Qualified Plan
Section 4 7 457 Deferred Compensation
Section 4 8 Workers Compensation
Section 4.9 Continuation of Benefits Coverage
Section 4 10 Unemployment Insurance
Section 4 11 Credit Union
RULE 5 EMPLOYMENT HOURS
Section 5.1 All Employees
Section 5 2 Exempt Benefit Levels
RULE 6 LEAVE VACATION AND HOLIDAYS
Section 6 1 Sick Leave
Section 6 2 Sick Leave Time Cashout
Section 6 3 Holiday Leave
Section 6 4 Vacation
Section 6 5 Accrued Vacation Time Cashout
Section 6 6 Administrative Leave
Section 6 7 Overtime
Section 6.8 Jury Duty
Section 6.9 Leave of Absence Without Pay
Section 6 10 Unauthorized Leave of Absence
RULE 7 PART-TIME SEASONAL AND TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES
Section 7 1 Regular Part -Time Employees
Section 7 2 Seasonal Employees
Section 7.3 Temporary Employees "
Section 7 4 Casual Employees
RULE 8 POLICY AGAINST EMPLOYEE HARASSMENT
Section 8 1 Introduction
Section 8 2 Policy Statement
Section 8 3 Application
Section 8.4 Harassment Defined
Section 8 5 Procedure
Section 8.6 Investigation
Section 8 7 Internal Documentation Procedure
Section 8.8 Confidentiality
Section 8 9 Remedies
Section 8.10 Retaliation
Section 8 11 Employee Obligation
RULE 9 OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES
Section 9 1
Section 9.2
Section 9 3
Authorization for Outside Activities
Prohibited Activities
Conflicting Activity
RULE 10 TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM
RULE 11
Section 10.1 Eligibility
Section 10 2 Application Process
Section 10.3 Repayment of Tuition Reimbursement
VEHICLE OPERATION POLICY
Section 11 1 Policy
Section 11 2 Dnver's License
Section 11 3 Driver's Record
RULE 12 EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT
Section 12 1 Travel Expenses
Section 12 2 Other Official Expense Reimbursement
Section 12.3 Travel Reimbursement
Section 12 4 Travel Advance
Section 12.5 Personal Automobile Travel
RULE 13 EMPLOYEE CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINE
Section 13 1 Procedure
RULE 14 GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
Section 14.1 Policy
Section 14 2 Steps in the Gnevance Procedure
RULE 15 LAYOFF POLICY AND PROCEDURE
Section 15 1 Policy
Section 15 2 Order of Lay-off
Section 15.3 Reemployment List
RULE 16 REPORTS AND RECORD KEEPING
Section 16 1 Personnel Files
Section 16 2 Change of Status Report
Section 16 3 Personnel Action Form
Section 16 4 Time Cards
Section 16 5 Records Review and Access
Section 16 6 Employee Access
Section 16 7 Disclosure of Employee Information
Section 16 8 Protection of Confidentiality
RULE 17 RCTC Computer Word Processing, Electronic and Voice Mail Confidentiality
(Access and disclosure) Policy
Section 17.1 Purpose
Section 17 2 Access and Disclosure
Section 17 3 Personal Use
Section 17 4 Guidelines for the Use of E-Mail
RULE 1 GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section 1.1 Purpose
The purpose of the Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual is to provide guidance
in the application of a fair personnel management policy which promotes the efficient and
economical delivery of Riverside County Transportation Commission services
Section 1.2 Prior Policies Repealed
In the event that the terms and provisions of this policy and procedure manual is
inconsistent or in conflict with the terms and provisions of any prior Commission personnel
policy and procedures, resolutions, rules and regulations governing the same subject, the terms
of this policy and procedure manual shall prevail and such inconsistent or conflicting provisions
or prior resolutions, rules and regulations are hereby repealed
Section 1.3 Term of Personnel Manual
This Personnel Policy and Procedures Manual takes effect when adopted by the
Riverside County Transportation Commission. The manual shall remain in effect unless
repealed, in whole or part, by the Commission The Riverside County Transportation
Commission (RCTC) may in its sole discretion add to, delete or otherwise modify these policies
and procedures
Section 1.4 Non -Discrimination
RCTC shall comply with applicable Federal and State laws governing fair employment
practice and equal opportunity RCTC shall not unlawfully discnminate for or against any
person based on race, creed, color, religion, national ongm, sex, age political opinion, physical
handicap medical condition mantal status, disability, or sexual orientation
Section 1.5 Violation of Personnel Policy
Violation of these personnel policies as adopted shall constitute grounds for refection
or for suspension, demotion discharge or other disciplinary action deemed appropriate in the
discretion of RCTC Management
Section 1.6 Department Policies and Procedures
Department managers may issue such policies and procedures as deemed necessary
for the efficient and orderly administration of the department However no such policies or
procedures shall conflict with or supersede these Personnel Policies and Procedures and shall
be approved by the Executive Director prior to their implementation. Copies of department
policies and procedures, and amendments to the policies and procedures shall be distnbuted
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to each employee of the department. Department policies and procedures must be consistent
with, and supplementary to, these Personnel Policies and Procedures
Section 1.7 Distribution of Personnel Policies
Copies of the Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual shall be made available to all
employees of RCTC
Section 1.8 Definition of Terms
Terms used in this Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual shall be defined as follows
Acting Appointment - An appointment of a person on an mtenm basis pending later
appointment of an eligible person
Advancement - A salary increase within the limits of a pay range established for a class
Anniversary Date - The effective date of employment for the employee
Applicant - Any person submitting a formal completed application for employment with RCTC
Authorized Position - A specific work position within a lob classification which is or may be
held by an employee
Casual Employee - An employee of RCTC scheduled on an irregular basis or on a regular
basis for 20 or fewer hours per week Such employees may be discharged without cause and
without recourse to the gnevance procedure or any other appeal right
Chairman - A member of the RCTC elected on a yearly basis to preside at all meetings of the
Commission and perform such other powers and duties as may be from time to time assigned
to him/her by the Commission
Class - All positions sufficiently similar in duties, authonty and responsibility, to permit
grouping under a common title in the application with equity of common standards of selection,
transfer, demotion and salary
Compensation - Salary wages fees benefits, allowances or other monies paid to or on behalf
of an employee for personal services.
Continuous employment - Employment which is uninterrupted except by authonzed
absences
Contract employees - Contract employees are those individuals that are employed by RCTC
pursuant to the terms of an individual employment contract which sets forth terms and
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,
conditions of employment Unless expressly stated herein, the provisions of this Personnel
Policies and Procedures Manual shall not be applicable to contract employees.
Days - Means calendar days unless otherwise stated
Demotion - The movement of an employee from one class to another class having a lower
maximum base rate of pay
Director of Administrative Services - The employee of RCTC as designated by the Executive
Director to oversee the human resources department
Disciplinary Action - Includes, but is not limited to, the discharge, demotion, reduction in pay,
suspension and oral or written repnmands of a regular employee, provided, however that
exempt employees shall be subject to unpaid disciplinary suspension in blocks of one week
only
Discharge - Involuntary termination of employment with the Riverside County Transportation
Commission
Employment List - A list of names of persons who may be considered for employment with
RCTC under specified conditions Employment lists will be prepared as needed as determined
by the Director of Administrative Services
Employee - A person who is legally occupying a position in RCTC's service or who is on an
authonzed leave of absence for such position
Employee Classification Plan - Classes of positions defined by class specifications including
title which groups all positions with similar duties, responsibilities, authonty and character of
work in the same class with the equitable schedules of compensation within the same class.
Executive Director - The position selected by the Board of Riverside County Transportation
Commission to have full charge of the administration of the business affairs of the Commission
Fiscal Year - The fiscal year for RCTC begins on July 1 and end on June 30 of the next year
Full -Time Employee - An employee of RCTC who usually works forty (40) hours per week in
an approved classification plan position
Grievance - Any good faith or reasonable complaint of an employee or a group of employees
or a dispute between RCTC and said employee or group of employees involving the
interpretation application or enforcement of this Personnel and Policies Manual, provided,
however complaints involving performance evaluations, denial of ment pay increases,
employee classification disciplinary actions rejection from probation and termination of
seasonal, temporary, and casual employees are not gnevable
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Grievance Procedure - The systematic means by which an employee may obtain
consideration of a gnevance
Immediate Family- An employee's father, mother, spouse child brother, sister, grandparent,
grandchild, parent -in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, foster child, ward of court or stepchild
Immediate Supervisor - The most immediate person to whom an employee reports for work
assignments and direction
Job Classification - The descriptive title of a certain type of lob performed by an RCTC
employee Inherent in each classification are certain duties, responsibilities, and degrees of
authority
Layoff - The separation of an employee from RCTC service which has been made necessary
by lack of work or funds and other reasons not related to the fault, delinquency, or misconduct
on the part of the employee
Leave of Absence - An authonzed absence from duty for a specified period
Regular Part-time Employee - An employee of RCTC who usually works less than forty (40)
hours per week, but more than 20 hours per week, in a classified position
Performance Evaluation - A review and evaluation of an employee's performance and
capabilities in the employee's authonzed position by the employee's immediate supervisor or
other manager
Personnel Manual - This group of personnel policies and procedures concerning employment
with RCTC .
Personnel Ordinance - Ordinance which creates a personnel system for RCTC
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Position - A group of current duties and responsibilities assigned or delegated by competent
authority and requmng the full or part-time services of one (1) employee
Probationary Period - A minimum of six months or one thousand forty working hours based
on exemplary performance to twelve months or two thousand eighty regularly scheduled working
hours or such duly extended penod of employment, dunng which an employee may be
discharged without cause and without recourse to the grievance procedure or any other appeal
nght
Promotion - The movement of an employee from a position of one class to a position in another
class having a higher maximum salary rate with an increase in duties and responsibilities over
the employee's present class
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Reduction in Pay - A temporary or permanent decrease in salary
Regular Employee -An employee who has successfully completed the probationary period and
has been retained as hereafter provided in these rules.
Reinstatement - The restoration without examination of a former regular employee or
probationary employee to a classification in which the employee formerly served as a regular
non -probationary employee.
Resignation - Voluntary termination of employment by an employee.
Salary range - Categones which determine the minimum and maximum salary payable for each
employment classification
Salary step - A level of salary payable in each salary range.
Seasonal employee - An individual appointed to a position established on a recurnng basis of
forty (40) hours per week or less, for a specified season of six (6) consecutive months or less
Such employees may be discharged without cause and without recourse to the gnevance
procedure or any other appeal nght.
Sick Leave - Absence from duty by an employee due to
1 The employee's illness, medical or dental examination, injury, disability or exposure
to contagious disease which incapacitates the employee from performing this duty
2 The employee's attendance with a member of the immediate family because of illness,
injury death, or exposure to contagious disease and where the attendance of the
employees definitely required
Smoking - Includes any lighted cigarette agar or pipe
Supervisor - A person who has responsibility for the direction of the work of a specific
employee
Suspension - Unpaid suspension is the temporary separation from service of an employee
without pay for disciplinary purposes. Paid suspension is leave, with pay, wherein the employee
is fully or partially relieved of duty, with pay and benefits, pending investigation of employee
conduct or for other reasons deemed appropriate by RCTC management
Temporary Employee - An employee hired for a specified purpose for a limited penod of time.
Such employees may be discharged without cause and without recourse to the grievance
procedure or any other appeal nght
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Termination - The conclusion or cessation of employment with RCTC
RCTC - Riverside County Transportation Commission
Transfer - The movement of an employee within a department or between departments from
one position to another position in the same class or another class having the same maximum
salary, involving the performance of similar duties and requiring substantially the same basic
qualification
Vacancy - An unfilled authonzed position in RCTC employment
Section 1.9 Application of Personnel Rules
These Personnel Rules shall apply to all officers, positions and employments in the
service of RCTC
Section 1.10 Savings Clause
If any provision or the applications of any provision of these Personnel Policies and
Procedures, as implemented, are rendered or declared invalid by any final court action in a court
of competent lunsdiction, or by reason of any preemptive legislation, the remaining provision of
the Personnel Policies and Procedures shall remain in full force and effect
RULE 2 RECRUITMENT, SELECTION AND PLACEMENT
Section 2.1 Classification Plan
The Director of Administrative Services, under the direction of Executive Director, shall
ascertain and record the duties and responsibilities of all positions in the RCTC The Executive
Director shall recommend a classification plan for such positions. The classification plan shall
consist of classes of positions defined by class specification, including the title The
classification plan shall be so developed and maintained that all positions substantially similar
with respect to duties responsibilities, authority and character of work are included within the
same class and that the same schedules of compensation may be made to apply under similar
working conditions to all positions in the same class
The classification plan shall be adopted by RCTC and may be amended from time to
time A new position shall not be created and filled until the classification plan has been
amended to provide therefor.
Section 2.2 Reclassification
Positions, the assigned duties of which have been matenally changed by RCTC so as
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to necessitate reclassification, whether new or already created, may be allocated by the
Executive Director to a more appropriate class
Section 2.3 Vacancies
When a permanent vacancy occurs in an authorized position, the Immediate Supervisor
will submit a request to fill the vacancy to the Director of Administrative Services. The
Immediate Supervisor may recommend to fill the vacancy through internal or external
recruitment The Executive Director will be notified of the vacancy and the recommended
process for selection The Executive Duectormay determine that it is in RCTC's best interest
to leave the position vacant This section shall not be construed to limit in any way the Executive
Director s right to hire the most qualified person available to fill any vacancy
Section 2.4 Personnel Requisitions
All requests for additional or replacement personnel shall be submitted to the Personnel
Department on a Personnel Requisition Form The Personnel Requisition Form shall be
completed and signed by the supervisor The Form shall be submitted to the Executive Director
for approval and then submitted to the Director of Administrative Services The Director of
Administrative Services shall satisfy all Personnel Requisitions in accordance with RCTC's
recruitment policy
Section 2.5 Announcements
The Director of Administrative Services shall publish announcements which shall state
the position title, salary, desired qualifications, when and where to file applications and other
pertinent information Employment standards stated in the announcement shall be those
established for the class as approved by the Executive Director
Announcements shall be considered published when they are posted on RCTC bulletin
board Internal and external recruitment shall be a minimum of two weeks The Director of
Administrative Services may publish notices of vacancies as he/she deems appropnate
including use of media sources in order to recruit qualified applicants
Section 2.6 Qualification of Applicants
The person employed in or appointed to any position reguinng full-time or part-time
service where the position is included in the classification plan and a class specification exists
must possess desired qualifications in full, by midnight of the final filing date
In the event an applicant entering RCTC employment is found to possess qualifications
extraordinary for the position the Executive Director may authorize the employment of such
applicant at any step within the appropriate pay range For the purposes of this section,
'extraordinary" means the applicant has education, expenence and/or skills superior to that
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commonly required and expected for the class.
Section 2.7 Submitting Applications
Applications must be received by RCTC not later than 5:00 p m on the final filing date
Applications mailed must bear a postmark not later than the final filing date and must be
received not more than seventy-two (72) hours after the final filing date and time All
employment applications submitted to RCTC shall remain in an active status for a penod of six
months dunng which time applicants will be considered for employment
Section 2.8 Incomplete Applications
Incomplete applications may be returned to the applicant with notice to amend, provided
adequate time exists Incomplete applications received after the filing period will not be given
consideration for RCTC employment.
Section 2.9 Disqualification
The Director of Administrative Services may disqualify an applicant or refuse to refer any
person for employment for but not limited to, the following reasons.
1 The applicant does not possess the necessary qualifications established for the
position
2 The applicant has been dismissed for good cause from previous employment
3 The applicant has used or attempted to use any improper personal or political
influence to further their employment with RCTC
4 The applicant has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor which was of such
a nature as to reflect adversely and substantially on the applicant's ability to
perform the duties of the position The word "convicted" shall be construed to
mean a plea of guilty or nolo contenders, verdict or finding of guilt regardless of
whether sentence is imposed by the court
5 The applicant has practiced or attempted to practice any deception fraud or
omission of material fact in the application or interview, or in secunng eligibility for
employment
The Executive Director shall have final approval as it pertain to qualification of applicants
Section 2.10 Offer of Employment
Offers of employment shall be extended to selected candidates only by the Executive
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Director or the Director of Administrative Services or the Supervisor, at the direction of the
Executive Director. Employment offers for all positions shall be made in wntmg and shall include
starting salary on a monthly basis. In no event shall an employment offer be made in terms of
annual salary which may imply a yearly contract All employment offers are subject to all
employment contingencies
Section 2.11 Keys and Security Codes
Keys to RCTC facilities and related secunty access codes will be issued to employees
as designated by the Supervisor The Supervisor will notify the Director of Administrative
Services of the employees to be issued keys and related secunty access codes Keys are the
property of RCTC and shall be surrendered to RCTC upon termination of employment and
pnor to receiving payment of salary due at termination Employees shall be required to
immediately report lost or stolen keys and related security cards to the Personnel Department
RULE 3 TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT
Section 3.1 Salary Schedule Adoption
Except as otherwise provided by law, employees shall receive compensation as provided
in the basic salary and compensation schedule adopted by RCTC Board for the respective
classifications of positions in which they are employed, in accordance with the terms of
employment set for in this Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual.
Section 3.2 Probationary Period
To ensure that new employees are able to satisfy requirements of the position for which
they were hired, minimum probationary penod shall be a minimum of completion of first 1040
hours for exemplary performance up to the first twelve months or 2080 regularly scheduled
working hours for regular appointments The probationary period is required as part of the
testing process and shall be utilized for observing closely the employee's work All employees
will receive a performance evaluation prior to completion of the minimum probationary period
any extension of the probationary penod
Dunng the probationary penod, an employee may be rejected at any time without cause and
without recourse to the grievance procedure or any other appeal nght If an employee's
performance dunng the probationary penod is marginal, the probationary penod may be
extended for a maximum of six calendar months or 1040 regularly scheduled working hours,
subject to the approval of the Executive Director
Employees promoted or transferred to another position in RCTC, shall be considered
probationary employees dunng the first six months or 1040 regularly scheduled working hours
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whichever occurs later, in the new position Employees fading to perform satisfactonly in the
newly assigned position may be rejected and retumed to their former position or to a position
requiring similar skill and in a similar pay grade without recourse to the gnevance procedure or
any other appeal right
Section 3.3 Promotion
It is the policy of RCTC to fill authorized position vacancies with the most qualified
individual available and to provide promotional opportunities for qualified employees For the
purpose of this policy, promotion shall be defined as movement to a higher classification in the
salary schedule. Employees interested in promotion to a position vacancy for which they are
qualified shall submit an employment application to the Personnel Officer. Employees who have
not yet successfully completed the probationary period for their current position are not normally
eligible for promotional consideration
Employees promoted to a new position shall be placed at that step of the salary range
in which the position is classified which represents a nominal five percent increase in the
employee's current salary Employee promoted to a new position having a maximum salary
range higher than a five percent increase over the employee's current salary shall be placed at
the minimum step of the salary range in which the position is classified.
Employees appointed to an "acting" position shall not acquire probationary or permanent
status or rights, and time spent in an "acting" position shall not contribute to the probationary
penod if the employee is subsequently appointed to the position
Promotional offers shall be extended to selected candidates only by the Executive
Director Employment offers for all promotional positions shall be made in accordance with
Section 2 10 of the Personnel Policies and Procedures
Section 3.4 Demotion
RCTC may demote an employee whose ability to perform the required duties falls below
standard or for disciplinary purposes No employee shall be demoted to a position who does not
possess the desirable qualifications Employees demoted due to unsatisfactory performance
following a promotional opportunity or a RCTC initiated transfer shall be retumed to their former
salary provided the demotion occurs dunng the probationary penod in the newly occupied
position
Section 3.5 Suspension
The Executive Director may suspend an employee from a position at any time for a
disciplinary purpose Suspension without pay shall not exceed thirty calendar days, nor shall
any employee be penalized by suspension for more than thirty calendar days in any fiscal year
Department heads may suspend a subordinate employee for not more than three working days
at any one time, and not more than once in a thirty calendar day penod. Intended suspension
action shall be reported immediately to the Executive Director and the Director of Administrative
Services and shall be taken in accordance with Rule 12 hereof
Section 3.6 Reinstatement
Employees who have resigned from RCTC employment may be eligible for reinstatement
to their former position or to a position requiring similar skill and in a similar pay grade providing
all of the following cntena are met
1 There is a vacancy in the position for which the employee seeks reinstatement
2 The request for reinstatement is received within six (6) months from the date the
employee resigned
3 Performance evaluations at the time of resignation were satisfactory.
4 The former employee provided at least two (2) weeks notice upon resignation.
5 The Executive Director approves the reinstatement request prior to the
appointment
Former employees shall have no nght to reinstatement and such reinstatement shall be
at the sole discretion of RCTC RCTC reserves the nght to consider the restoration of salary,
senionty and other employee benefits on an individual basis and the same shall be restored at
the sole discretion of the Executive Director Reinstated employees shall be required to
complete a probationary penod
Section 3.7 Termination
Employees may be rejected without cause or without right of appeal at any time dunng
a probationary penod immediately following the individual's date of employment or dunng, an
approved extension of an employee's initial probationary penod Rejections occurring dunng the
probationary penod shall be initiated by the appropnate department head and approved by the
Executive Director prior to notifying the employee of termination action The Director of
Administrative Services must be notified of any employee termination action. Rejected
probationary employees shall forfeit all employee benefits except benefits accrued under the
Public Employees' Retirement System Rejected probationary employees shall not be eligible
for pnor notice of termination and shall receive payments due at the following payday
RCTC may discharge regular employees for cause including, but not limited to,
inadequate job performance All employees of RCTC shall be discharged in accordance with
applicable provisions of the Personnel Ordinance or these Rules. Employees discharged in
accordance with these Rules shall forfeit all employee benefits except benefits accrued under
the Public Employees' Retirement System and benefits to which the employee is statutonly
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entitled Discharged employees shall receive payments due the following payday
Section 3.8 Orientation
New employees of RCTC shall be provided a brief orientation. The orientation will
address issues such as hours of work, rest penods, salary benefits, probationary penod
performance evaluation, position descnptions, attendance, drug abuse policy, smoking policy,
sick leave, vacation, overtime and other basic personnel issues as directed by the Director of
Administrative Services
The employee's immediate supervisor will provide the employee with a thorough
orientation including, but not limited to, the following
1 Outline current and long range departmental objectives
2 Review the organization of the department and the names of key department
personnel
3 Review department procedures
4 Explain hours of work, time reporting, lunch and break penods, absence reporting
and other RCTC policy
5 Define work assignments objectives and responsibilities
6 Set measurable performance goals with the employee
7 Conduct a tour of RCTC facilities including rest rooms and parking facilities
Section 3.9 Attendance
Employees shall be in attendance at their work in accordance with the rules regarding
hours of work holidays, and leaves All employees shall keep daily attendance records of
employees which shall be reported to payroll on the appropnate form Absence without leave
shall be cause for discipline up to and including discharge.
Employees shall make every effort to schedule personal appointments outside their
working hours RCTC will maintain records of employee attendance to identify critical and
chronic attendance problems Employee attendance will be reviewed and evaluated dunng the
employee's annual performance evaluation.
Section 3.10 Nepotism
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In order to assure efficiency in implementing policies of RCTC, it is necessary to restrict
the employment of relatives of elected and appointed officers of RCTC For the purpose of this
policy a "relative" is defined as a spouse, child, step -child, parent step-parent, parent -in-law,
legal guardian, brother, sister brother-in-law, sister-in-law, step -sister, step -brother aunt, uncle,
niece, nephew, grandchild, grandparent regardless of their place of residence, or any other
individual related by blood or marnage living within the same household or persons having an
equivalent relationship with the employee Therefore, the following restrictions will apply
1 Relatives of the RCTC Executive Director, RCTC Legal Counsel and all Board
members of RCTC shall not be eligible for RCTC employment in any capacity
2 Relatives of RCTC employees shall not be employed in the same department of
RCTC where such employment would be detrimental to the supervision, safety,
security or morale of the department or RCTC, as determined by the Executive
Director, nor shall any employee be placed in a position which exercises
supervisory authority over a relative
3 If two (2) RCTC employees become marned and their employment conflicts with
the provisions of this policy, they may continue employment provided that such
employment does not directly or indirectly place an undue hardship on other
employees within the particular work unit of the married couple and such
employment is not detnmental to the supervision, safety, security or morale of the
particular work unit as determined by the Executive Director
4 In no event shall an employee participate directly or indirectly in the recruitment
or selection process for a position in which an employee's relative may have filed
an official employment application
Section 3.11 Compensation
The Director of Administrative Services, at the direction of the Executive Director, shall
be responsible for prepanng and maintaining an employee classification plan for RCTC. The
employee classification plan shall be approved by the Commission
New employees of RCTC shall be hired at the minimum step of the salary range which
the position is classified In the event a potential employee possesses extraordinary skill,
training or ability or where exceptional recruitment difficulties are encountered, employment
offers may be made at a higher rate whenever such would be in RCTC's best interest Offers
of employment at the minimum to middle step of the salary range may be approved by the
Executive Director in wnting
Individuals hired at the minimum step of the salary range shall be eligible for a salary step
increase upon completion of satisfactory initial six months or upon completion of probationary
period at twelve months or any extension thereof, not to exceed five percent (5%), and at twelve
month intervals thereafter A completed performance evaluation with a satisfactory or higher
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rating shall be required for all salary step recommendations.
Individuals hired at other than the minimum step of the salary range shall be eligible for
a salary step increase upon completion of the probationary period or any extension thereof, not
to exceed five percent (5%), and at twelve month intervals thereafter A completed performance
evaluation with a satisfactory or higher rating shall be required for all salary step
recommendations
Section 3.12 Annual Salary Review
Every odd year on February 1st, under the direction of the Executive Director, the
Director of Administrative Services will review the salary ranges assigned to each position within
RCTC and provide the information to the Executive Director The Executive Director will make
recommendations to the Commission The following areas to review may be considered
1 Existing position descriptions, salanes, benefit levels and number of authorized
positions within RCTC
2 Companson of salanes paid by other employers to employees performing work
similar to that performed by RCTC employees
3 Review of inflation, changes in cost of living, and other measure of the economy
4 Other areas as the Executive Director deems appropriate
Changes in the salary ranges, if any, shall be determined within the sole discretion of the
Riverside County Transportation Commission
Section 3.13 Performance Evaluations
It is the policy of RCTC of to evaluate employee performance on a regularly scheduled
basis The performance evaluation shall normally be conducted by the employee's immediate
supervisor and shall be discussed with the employee The employee s immediate supervisor
shall carefully consider each item of the performance evaluation in relation to the duties outlined
in the employee's position description
A performance evaluation shall be completed at six months pnor to the completion of the
probationary penod for new employees This includes completion of the first twelve months of
employment for new employees, completion of any extended probationary period and
completion of the promotional probationary penod of a regular employee It is the supervisors
responsibility to assure that the performance evaluation is completed and returned to the
Executive Director and Director of Administrative Services for review pnor to the completion of
the probationary penod
Performance evaluations for employees after attaining the top step of their salary range
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will be on an annual basis Supervisors must use and complete the performance evaluation
form approved by RCTC by November 1" of each year The penod for the evaluation
performance is from July 15'to June 30'h Employees who have reached the top step of their
salary range dunng the penod of July 1"to June 301h will be qualified for the performance award
the following year An employee will be awarded a performance evaluation incentive as follows.
a) 5% for Outstanding, and, 2) 2 1/2% for Very Good. It is the supervisor's responsibility to
assure that the performance evaluation is completed and that he/she has met with the
supervised employee and retumed to the Director of Administrative Services All performance
evaluation evaluations must be approved and signed by the Executive Director Performance
awards are not cumulative and shall not become the base salary.
Section 3.14 Rest Periods
Employees of RCTC shall be eligible to receive one rest penod not to exceed fifteen
minutes in any four consecutive hours of work The employee's immediate supervisor shall
coordinate the scheduling of the rest penod
Section 3.15 Notice of Resignation
Employees who wish to voluntanly terminate employment with RCTC shall provide a
minimum of two weeks wntten notice to their immediate supervisor The written resignation shall
be considered accepted by RCTC immediately upon submission by the employee and shall be
forwarded to the Personnel Department for processing. Requests to revoke a resignation shall
be determined in the sole discretion of the Executive Director Any employee fading to provide
RCTC with a minimum of two weeks written notice shall be ineligible for consideration for future
employment with RCTC
Section 3.16 Death of Employee
In the event of a death of a RCTC employee, payment of all eamed wages due shall be
in accordance with the laws of the State of which the deceased employee was a legal resident
at the time of death
Payment of any other funds due the deceased employee will be paid to the beneficiary
so designated in writing by the employee If no beneficiary has been designated, any funds due
shall be paid to the deceased employee s surviving spouse In the absence of a surviving
spouse such payment shall be made to the employee's children In the absence of children,
such payment shall be made to the estate of the deceased employee
Section 3.17 Political Activity
Political activities of officers and employees of RCTC while on duty and/or on the
premises of RCTC is prohibited In accordance with the California Govemment Code the
following shall be prohibited
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1. An employee of RCTC shall not, directly or indirectly, solicit political funds or
contributions, knowingly, from other officers or employees of RCTC (Government
Code Section 3205)
2 No employee of RCTC shall engage in political activity dunng working hours
(Government Code Section 3207)
4 No signs, posters or other political advertising materials shall be posted upon
public property at any time
Section 3.18 Alcohol and Drug Policy
It is policy of the RCTC to prohibit its employees from using alcohol or drugs in
connection with their employment, as it constitutes a threat to the safe and efficient performance
of our public service
With this in mind, RCTC has established the following policy with regard to use being
under the influence, possession, distribution or manufacture of alcohol or drugs
The RCTC Drug -Free Workpace Designation is any location at which RCTC business
is conducted is designated as a drug -free workplace All employees of RCTC are absolutely
prohibited from unlawfully manufacturing, distnbuting, dispensing, possessing or using
controlled substances in the workplace RCTC shall implement and hold a drug -free workplace
training annually for all employees
Any employee convicted of violating a criminal drug statute in the workplace must inform
the Executive Director of such conviction (including pleas of guilty and nolo contendere) within
five days of the conviction occurnng Failure to inform the Executive Director shall result in
disciplinary action up to and including termination for the first offense. By law, the Executive
Director will notify the federal contracting officer within ten days of receiving such notice from
an employee or otherwise receiving notice of such a conviction
RCTC reserves the nght to offer employees convicted of violating a criminal drug statute
in the workplace participation in an approved rehabilitation or drug -abuse assistance program
as an alterative to discipline If such a program is offered, and accepted by the employee, then
the employee must satisfactorily participate in the program as a condition of continued
employment
All employees of RCTC shall be required to acknowledge that they have read this policy
and agree to abide by it in all respects By law this acknowledgement and agreement are
required as a condition of continued employment
A Definitions
Under the influence - For the purposes of this Policy, that the employee is affected by
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a drug or alcohol or the combination of a drug and alcohol in any detectable manner
The symptoms of influence are not confined to those consistent with misbehavior, nor
to obvious impairment of physical or mental ability, such as slurred speech or difficulty
in maintaining balance A determination of influence can be established by a professional
opinion, a scientifically valid test, and, in some cases, by a layperson's opinion
Legal Drug - Includes prescnbed drugs and over-the-counter drugs which have been
legally obtained and are being used for the purpose for which they were prescnbed or
manufactured.
Illegal Drug - Any drug which is not legally obtainable, or which is legally obtainable but
has not been legally obtained The term further includes prescribed drugs not being used
for prescribed purposes.
Section 3.19 Smoking Policy
RCTC is dedicated to protecting the health and safety of all RCTC employees from
unhealthful conditions Therefore, smoking is prohibited in any RCTC owned or leased budding
specifically utilized for the administration of RCTC business This shall include, but is not limited
to offices, lobbies, hallways conference rooms restrooms, common work areas and vehicles
Each department head shall be responsible for enforcing this smoking prohibition within their
area of responsibility Any RCTC employee violating this policy will be subject to disciplinary
action
Section 3.20 Service Awards
In order to recognize the contributions of long time RCTC employees RCTC shall provide
service awards to regular full-time employees who have completed five years of consecutive
service and on succeeding five year anniversaries thereafter. Service awards shall also be
presented to regular part-time employees who have completed the equivalent of five years of
consecutive service and on succeeding five year equivalent anniversaries thereafter.
Service awards will be presented at regular Commission meetings Employees must
have completed the appropnate years of service prior to the date of the awards ceremony to be
eligible for the award Presentation of service awards shall be made by the Chairman of RCTC
or a representative designated by the Chairman
Section 3.21 Safety
It is the policy of RCTC to maintain an active safety program designed to eliminate
occupationally related illness and injury among RCTC employees Every employee of the RCTC
shall be required to observe all RCTC and departmental health and safety procedures
Section 3.22 Workplace Related Violence
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RCTC will not tolerate workplace related violence or threats of workplace related violence
of any type Thus, any act or threat of workplace related violence against a co-worker, customer,
or any other individual will lead to discipline, up to and including termination of employment,
depending on the nature and seventy of the employee's conduct
Conduct prohibited under this policy includes but is not limited to
1 Physical assaults,
2 Verbal abuse or threat (oral or in wntmg),
3 Physical gestures or other actions intended to threaten, intimidate or coerce
another person,
4 Harassment,
5 Sabotage of equipment or other property,
6 Bomb threats or similar activities,
7 Menacing or inappropriately aggressive behavior towards another person,
8 Stalking,
9 Possession of a weapon
These rules apply at any time an employee is on duty, on RCTC premises or otherwise
acting in connection to the employee's employment with RCTC
In addition to taking disciplinary action against an employee engaging in prohibited
conduct under this policy RCTC will take aggressive legal action against any employee that
engages in workplace related violence or constitutes a threat of workplace related violence
Any employee that feels that he or she has been the victim of workplace related violence
or threat of workplace related violence is expected to report such to the employee's supervisor
or any other supervisory or management employee immediately Further, any employee that has
knowledge of an incident of workplace related violence or a threat of workplace related violence
must report such to his or her immediate supervisor or any other supervisory or management
employee immediately
RULE 4 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Section 4.1 Benefit Plan
All regular employees shall be eligible to participate in the health dental vision,
supplemental life insurance, 401(a) defined compensation plan and 457 deferred compensation
plan offered by RCTC
Section 4.2 Medical
RCTC will provide medical coverage through the Public Employees Retirement System
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(PERS) RCTC shall pay the cost of medical insurance in the PERS at the rate of the HealthNet
Insurance premium for family coverage
Section 4.3 Short and Long Term Disability Insurance
RCTC shall provide short and long term disability insurance for regular employees The
premiums are fully paid by RCTC Employees shall be required to enroll in the program at the
time of hire and must remain in the program while an employee of RCTC
Section 4.4 Life Insurance
RCTC shall provide a one hundred thousand dollar ($100,000) term life insurance policy
for each regular employee Life insurance is also provided to regular part time employees and
will be on a pro-rata basis based on the hours work Employees shall be permitted to
purchase through payroll deduction, additional term life insurance
RCTC shall provide these benefits subject to carner requirements. Selection of the
insurance provider(s) and the method of computing premiums shall be within the sole discretion
of RCTC
Section 4.5 Dental/Optical Program
RCTC shall provide dental and optical expense reimbursement for regular full time
employees This benefit will also be provided to part-time employees on a pro-rata basis based
on the hours worked Employees and their dependent are entitled to reimbursement for
corrective/preventive dental and eye care under the program Reimbursement under this
program include eye care, glasses, lenses and frames dental care preventive services and
procedures
Each fiscal year, RCTC will deposit $1200 for each employee in the dental/optical
reimbursement fund Employees will be compensated for the first $1200 of dental and/or optical
claims dunng the fiscal year, with proportionate distributions of additional payments from any
remaining fund balances for any additional expenses at year end
The employee shall submit his/her dental and optical expense reimbursement form with
the receipt for dental and optical expenses to the Accounting Department Upon review and
approval the claim will be processed for reimbursement
Section 4.6 Retirement Program
All regular employees shall become members of the Public Employees' Retirement
System (P E R S ) at the effective date of employment RCTC shall pay for the employee and
employer contribution to PERS Through contract with PERS, regular employees shall receive
a 2% at 55 years old benefit Retirement shall! be based on the highest one year of
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compensation Employees shall be required to enroll in the program at the time of hire
Section 4.6 401(a) Qualified Plan
All regular employees shall be enrolled in the 401(a) Qualified Plan RCTC will contnbute
7 5% of the employee's salary to the qualified plan Employees shall be required to enroll in the
program at the time of hire.
Section 4.7 457 Deferred Compensation
Employees of RCTC shall be eligible to enroll in 457 deferred compensation plan offered
by RCTC on the first day of employment. Employees are permitted to specify additional amounts
to be deducted from the employee's paycheck for deposit to RCTC's deferred compensation
carrier Maximum contnbution is in accordance to the amount set by the federal law
Section 4.8 Worker's Compensation
RCTC shall provide Workers' Compensation benefits to all employees who suffer a work -
related injury For an injury suffered by an employee while performing its duties, the employee
will be placed immediately in workers compensation. The employee must complete an
Employee's Claim for Workers' Compensation Benefits (DWC Form 1) and submitted to the
Director of Administrative Services After receipt of the DWC Form 1, the Director of
Administrative Services will complete the Employer's Report of Occupational Injury or Illness
(SCIF 3067) Both forms shall be submitted to RCTC's Workers' Compensation carrier For
claims not visibly identified, employees shall use its sick leave and/or vacation until such time as
RCTC's Workers Compensation carner has investigated the claim At no time shall the
investigation take more than 90 days All compensation received by the employee from State
Compensation Insurance Fund will be tumed over to RCTC in order for the employee to continue
receiving full benefits It is the desire of RCTC to provide full benefits to the employee whenever
possible, however in no event shall the employee receive more benefit than they would normally
receive had the injury not occurred
Section 4.9 Unemployment Insurance
Unemployment insurance shall be provided in accordance with the current state and
federal laws
Section 4.10 Continuation of Benefits Coverage
RCTC shall continue contributions to the employee benefit plan and to group life
insurance programs of those regular full-time employees placed on leave of absence with pay
for the duration of the leave of absence. Employee contributions to such programs shall be
deducted from salary payments made to the employee dunng the paid leave of absence
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Regular employees of RCTC placed on approved leave of absence without pay may
continue to participate in RCTC's benefit programs for the duration of the leave of absence
RCTC contributions to the benefit plan shall cease on the effective date of the leave of absence
without pay Regular employees placed on approved leave of absence without pay who want to
continue participation in the benefit programs must advise the Director of Administrative Services
in writing of their intention to do so and shall submit a check for the cost of the applicable
coverage to the Director of Administrative Services no later than the 10th day of the month
preceding the month for which coverage is effective
Employees who are enrolled in the Public Employees' Retirement System and are placed
on approved leave of absence with pay shall continue to accrue length of service credit for
retirement purposes for the duration of the paid leave of absence Employees who are enrolled
in the Public Employees' Retirement System and are placed on approved leave of absence
without pay shall not accrue length of service credit for retirement purpose for the duration of the
leave of absence without pay
Employees who are covered under the RCTC's Long Term Disability shall cover the cost
to continue benefits
Section 4.11 Credit Union
RCTC employees shall be eligible for membership in the Riverside County Federal
Employees Credit Union on their first day of active employment Although RCTC does not
formally sponsor the Credit Union and is in no way involved in credit union management, RCTC
extends the courtesy of payroll deduction to credit union members
Employees wishing to enroll in the Riverside County Federal Employees Credit Union
shall complete a credit union membership application available through the credit union
Employees may increase or reduce credit union payroll deductions at any time by submitting a
written request for such action to the Accounting Department
Credit union payroll deductions shall remain effective until revoked in writing by the
individual employee Employees wishing to withdraw from the Riverside County Employees
Federal Credit Union payroll deduction program shall submit wntten request for such withdrawal
to Accounting Department at least thirty days pnor to the effective date of such withdrawal
RCTC shall assume no responsibility for the management membership or loan policies
of the Riverside County Employees Federal Credit Union or for the safety of credit union funds
Questions concerning credit union operations shall be directed to the Manager of the Credit
Union
RULE 5 EMPLOYMENT HOURS
Section 5.1 All Employees
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The official workweek for RCTC non-exempt employees shall begin on Wednesday at 12
01 p m and end at 12. 00 p.m. on the following Wednesday and for non-exempt employees,
their workweek shall begin on Thursday at 6 01 a.m and end at 6 00 a m. on the following
Thursday Non-exempt employees, who are govemed by the Fair Labor Standards Act of
RCTC shall not exceed 40 hours worked in one work week without pnor authorization from their
immediate supervisor Hours worked over 40 hours in a work week will be designated as
overtime
Section 5.2 Exempt Benefit Levels
Employees designated as either Professional/Supervisory, Management or Executive
Management are not eligible for overtime pay or compensatory time for working hours over and
above the normal daily work schedule. Employees so designated shall be entitled to all benefits
provided to general employees Positions considered as exempt employees are
Executive Director
Deputy Executive Director
Director of Planning and Programming
Director of Administrative Services/Clerk of the Board
Chief Financial Officer/Director of Management and Budget
Director of Regional Issues and Communication
Director of Intergovernmental and Legislative Affairs
Program Manager II
Program Manager I
Public Information Officer
Staff Analyst II
Staff Analyst I
Property Agent
Accounting Supervisor
RULE 6 LEAVE, VACATION AND HOLIDAYS
Section 6.1 Sick Leave
1 Accrual Regular full time employees of RCTC, including employees in the probationary
penod shall accrue four hours sick leave for each payroll period completed Regular
part-time employees working less than eighty (80) hours per pay penod or fob shared
positions shall receive sick leave accumulation on a pro-rata basis Eamed sick leave
shall be available for use the first day following the payroll penod in which it is eamed,
provided, however, that an employee must have completed six (6) months of continuous
service from the employee's benefit date In no event shall an employee be entitled to
receive sick leave with pay in excess of the number of sick leave days accrued at the time
of illness. Therefore, an employee who has exhausted sick leave accrual and who is
23
unable to work due to illness or injury will be placed in a vacation status for the duration
of the employee's vacation accrual, if any If the employee has exhausted both sick leave
and vacation leave accruals, the employee shall be placed on unpaid status At such
time, the employee may apply for short or long term disability insurance, whichever is
applicable
2 Use The following are considered appropriate uses of sick leave accrual
1 Employees may use sick leave accrual for personal illness or injury which
incapacitates the employee for duty
2. An employee who is personally undergoing medical, dental or optical treatment
or examination may use sick leave accrual for required time away from work
3 Employees compelled to be absent for reason of senous illness or injury in the
immediate family may use sick leave accruals For this purpose, however,
immediate family is defined as spouse or minor children residing with the
employee Serious illness or injury means that the family member is incapable of
canng for one s self and no other person other than the employee is available to
provide care
4 An employee quarantined by appropnate authority may use sick leave accruals for
the duration of the quarantine penod.
5 An employee may use sick leave accrual when canng for an immediate family
member suffenng from contagious disease or when the presence of an employee
at work would jeopardize the health of others due to exposure to a contagious
disease
3 Bereavement Leave Sick leave accrual may be used when a death occurs in the
immediate family of a regular employee Such use is limited to five days and may be used
only in the loss of a spouse, children, parents, parents of current spouse sister, brother
grandparents, stepparents, half-brother, half-sister or any individual who may have a true
parental relationship to the employee
4 Minimum Charge The minimum charge against accumulated sick leave shall be fifteen
(15) minutes
5 Notice of Illness RCTC must be notified at or before the start of the employee's
scheduled work day of an illness on the first day of absence. It is the responsibility of the
employee to keep RCTC informed as to continued absence beyond the first day for
reasons due to illness Failure to make such notification may result in denial of sick leave
with pay as well as disciplinary action, up to and including discharge
24
6 Illness Dunng Vacation Leave Employees who become ill while on approved vacation
leave may request to have vacation time converted to sick leave Approval may be
granted only when the employee presents a doctor's certificate verifying an illness or
injury. Such conversion shall require approval of the employee's Supervisor
7 Temporary Employees Temporary, seasonal or casual employees shall not be eligible
for sick leave
8 Return from Sick Leave Employees who have been on sick leave for three days or more
must present a statement signed by a licensed physician stating that the employee has
been off from work due to illness or injury and is able to resume normal duties
9 Misuse Evidence substantiating the abuse and misuse of the sick leave benefit shall
result in denial of sick leave with pay and may result in disciplinary action, up to and
including discharge
Section 6.2 Sick Leave Time Cashout
Employees of RCTC with continuous of five years of service (10,400 hours of continuous
services) may choose to receive for any number of hours in excess of 240 hours. An employee
may choose to receive payment for unused sick leave as follows.
1 Through January 31, 2000 sick leave accrued in excess of 240 hours will be
purchased back by the Commission at a rate of 100% 0 a one hours's pay for
each one hour in excess of 240)
2 Beginning February 1, 2000, sick leave accrued in excess of 240 hours could be
converted to vacation at a rate of 50% (i e , one hour s pay for every two hours in
excess of 240) The option to receive payment for unused sick leave in excess
of 240 hours under this provision may only be exercised by the employee and shall
notify the Accounting Department of its intention by February 1'
Section 6.3 Holiday Leave
All regular employees of RCTC who are on the payroll the day before and day after a
designated holiday shall be paid for said holiday Employees shall receive holiday pay for the
number of hours regularly scheduled for that date Temporary or seasonal employees do not
receive holiday benefits
The following are approved paid holidays for RCTC (the actual day of observance may
be changed at the discretion of RCTC management)
1 Day Before New Year's Day
2 New Years Day
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3 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Day
4 President's Day
5 Memorial Day
6 Independence Day
7 Labor Day
8 Veteran's Day
9 Thanksgiving Day
10 Day After Thanksgiving Day
11 Day Before Chnstmas Day
12 Christmas Day
13 Floating Holiday - Birthday
Holidays which fall on Saturday shall normally be observed on the preceding Fnday.
Holidays which fall on Sunday shall be observed on the following Monday When a fixed holiday
falls within a vacation penod, the holiday time shall not be charged against the employee's
earned vacation benefits
Section 6.4 Vacation
Employees of RCTC shall be entitled to paid annual vacation based on length of credited
service with RCTC. Employees in regular part-time positions shall accrue, on a pro-rata basis,
vacation leave for completed pay periods Such vacation allowance shall be available for use on
the first day following the pay penod in which it is eamed provided an employee has completed
six (6) months of continuous service from the employee's benefit date as follows.
All regular employees will be entitled annually to the following number of working days of
vacation in accordance with record of continuous years of service Years 1 through 3 (261
through 780 days) - 10 days cumulative to 20 days years 4 through 9 (781 through 2340 days) -
15 days cumulative to 30 days years 10 or more (2341 days or more) - 20 days cumulative to
40 days
Regular part-time employees of RCTC shall receive vacation leave accumulation on a
pro-rata basis There shall, however, be no proration of the maximum accrual Regular part-time
employees of RCTC who accept regular full-time employment with RCTC without a break in
service shall receive service credit on a pro rata basis
Temporary and seasonal employees of RCTC shall not be eligible for vacation leave
benefits
For all employees, beginning February 1, 2001, vacation leave shall cease to accrue once
the employee has accrued vacation leave in an amount equal to twice that employee's annual
accrual rate In such instance vacation leave accrual shall not resume until the employee has
brought the amount of accrued leave to a level less than twice his or her annual accrual rate
Section 6.5 Vacation Time Cashout
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Employees who have utilized at least ten (10 ) days vacation dunng the previous fiscal
year shall be permitted to cash out any accrued vacation leave in excess of eighty (80) hours on
the employee's anniversary date In order to encourage employees to take at least two weeks
of vacation per year, an employee with accrued vacation benefits in excess of 80 hours may
have the Commission buy out that excess at the employee's then -current rate of pay
An employee requesting for a vacation time buyout and has met the requirements of a
vacation time buyout, must submit a written memorandum to the Accounting Department
indicating the number of vacation hours for buyout by February 1st.
Eamed vacation leave may be taken in multiples of one hour with the approval of the
employee's immediate supervisor and at such time as will not impair the work schedule and
efficiency of the department. Should employee vacation requests conflict with staffing
requirement, supervisors shall arrange a mutually acceptable vacation schedule based on length
of employee service and the order in which employee vacation requests were submitted.
Accrued, unused vacation, in accordance to Section 6 4 shall be paid upon termination
of employment
Section 6.6 Administrative Leave
The Executive Director may, from time to time, grant administrative leave to those
employees classified as exempt who performed authorized work in excess of regular work day
or regularly scheduled days off or holidays Administrative leave may not be granted as
additional time for sick leave or disability use Administrative leave time shall be used within the
fiscal year and may not be carned over to the following fiscal year In the event that an employee
separates from its employment with the Commission the employee shall be reimbursed for the
unused administrative leave time for that year. Incoming employees with exempt positions shall
not be eligible for administrative leave until such time as they have successfully passed their
probationary period
Section 6.7 Overtime
It is the policy of RCTC to avoid overtime work whenever possible Overtime work shall
be used only to supply essential public services or perform necessary duties during emergencies
or where performance of overtime work by regular employees is more economical than adding
new employees by creation of new regular or temporary position
Employees of RCTC shall obtain authonzation for overtime prior to commencement of
overtime for the employee s immediate supervisor or department head Employees of RCTC
required to work overtime are compensated in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act
Holiday hours shall be included in the calculation of hours worked for the purpose of overtime
compensation
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Employees of RCTC designated as exempt employees shall not be subject to the
provisions of this section
Section 6.8 Jury Duty
Every regular employee of RCTC who is called or required to serve as a teal juror, upon
notification and appropriate verification submitted to his/her supervisor, shall be entitled to be
absent from his/her duties with RCTC during the penod of such service or while necessarily
being present in court as a result of such call Employees shall be expected to report to work
during those normal working hours which the employee is not required to be present as a juror
Employees must submit evidence of jury duty to their supervisors Any jury fees paid to the
employee must be turned in to RCTC A temporary employee shall be entitled to retain jury fees,
since he/she may not be paid as an employee for time not actually worked
Section 6.9 Leave of Absence Without Pay
The Executive Director in his/her unrestncted discretion, may grant leave of absence
without pay for the following reasons 1) Illness or disability when sick leave has been exhausted
2) Pregnancy, and, 3) Personal reasons acceptable to the Executive Director
RCTC shall follow the regulations of California Family Rights Act of 1993 (CFRA) and
Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) Regulations under the CFRA and FMLA is for
employers with 50 employees or more within 75 miles
In requesting leave of absence without pay, the employee must request, in wntmg,
specifying the penod of time and reason for the leave, to the Executive Director The Executive
Director may grant leave of absence up to three months (480 hours) Any leave of absence
granted shall be for specified penod and appropriate conditions may be imposed such as
reguinng the employee to provide sufficient medical documentation or any other evidence
documenting the leave, as required by the Executive Director Approved employee leave of
absence shall be reported to the Personnel Officer Under normal circumstances, personal
leave of absence shall be granted only after an employee has exhausted all vacation entitlement
An employee placed on approved leave of absence status without pay shall not accrue
credited service for salary review vacation and illness and injury leave purposes for the duration
of the leave of absence without pay Eligibility for salary review, vacation and sick leave accrual
shall be extended by the number of days an employee has been on approved leave of absence
without pay Employees placed on approved leave of absence without pay shall be responsible
for all health insurance premium, life insurance premiums long term disability premiums and
other monthly benefit payments
An employee on leave of absence for illness or disability reasons will be required to
present a return to work order releasing the employee to full duty signed by his/her attending
physician, pnor to being allowed to retum to work Release to retum to less than full duty will be
allowed only as an accommodation as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act Upon
28
expiration of a regularly approved leave or within a reasonable penod of time after notice to
retum to duty, the employee shall be reinstated in the position held at the time leave was
granted Failure on the part of an employee on leave to report promptly at its expiration, or within
a reasonable time after notice to retum to duty, shall be deemed to have resigned RCTC
employment The depositing in the United States mail of a first class letter, postage paid,
addressed to the employee's last know place of address shall be reasonable notice
Section 6.10 Unauthorized Leave of Absence
Any employee who is absent without authorization for three (3) consecutive working days
shall be considered to have resigned from their position with RCTC by reason of abandonment
An unauthorized leave of absence during part of a day constitutes an unauthorized absence for
the entire day
Nothing in this section shall limit the Executive Director's authority to discipline or dismiss
an employee due to an unauthonzed absence
RULE 7 PART TIME, SEASONAL AND TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES
Section 7.1 Regular Part-time Employees
Employees of RCTC designated as part-time employees shall be compensated on an
hourly basis as specified by the position classification in which they are assigned Part-time
employees shall accrue holidays, vacation and sick leave as provided in these Personnel Rules
on a pro-rata basis
Part-time employees shall receive a performance evaluation prior to the completion of six
months employment with RCTC and at one year intervals in accordance with Section 3 14 of
these Personnel Rules Part-time employees shall receive compensation in accordance with
Section 3 12 of these Personnel Rules
Part-time positions may be abolished and/or replaced with full-time positions as determined by
the Executive Director
Section 7.3 Temporary Employees
Employees of RCTC designated as temporary employees shall be compensated on an
hourly basis as specified at the time of hire Temporary employees shall not be eligible for
participation in any benefit program established by RCTC except as required by State and/or
Federal Law Temporary employees shall not be eligible for ment or other pay increases and will
not receive performance evaluations
Temporary employment may be terminated at any time without cause or pnor notice to
the employee and without recourse to the grievance procedure or any other appeal right.
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RULE 8 POLICY AGAINST EMPLOYEE HARASSMENT
Section 8.1 Introduction
RCTC strongly disapproves of any form of unlawful discrimination against its employees.
This includes discriminatory harassment of RCTC employees It can result in high turnover,
absenteeism, low morale, and an uncomfortable work environment In some cases, employee
harassment may constitute a criminal offense
Section 8.2 Policy Statement
RCTC stnctly prohibits unlawful harassment. This includes harassment on the basis of
sex, sexual orientation, race color, ancestry, religious creed, handicap or disability, medical
condition, age (over 40), marital status, sexual orientation, or any other protected class under
applicable law
Section 8.3 Application
This policy applies to all phases of the employment relationship, including recruitment,
testing hmng upgrading, promotion/demotion, transfer, layoff, termination, rates of pay, benefits
and selection for training.
This policy applies to all officers and employees of RCTC, including, but not limited to, full- and
part-time employees seasonal employees, temporary employees, casual employees, and
persons working under contract for RCTC
Section 8.4 Harassment Defined
1 Harassment may consist of offensive verbal, physical, or visual conduct when such
conduct is based on or related to an individual's sex and/or membership in one of the
above -described protected classifications, and
2 Submission to the offensive conduct is an explicit or implicit term or condition of
employment
3 Submission to or refection of the offensive conduct forms the basis for an employment
decision affecting the employee or
4 The offensive conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably mterfenng with an
indmdual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working
environment
5 Examples of what may constitute prohibited harassment include, but are not limited to,
the following
30
" K i d d i n g o r j o k i n g a b o u t s e x o r m e m b e r s h i p i n o n e o f t h e p r o t e c t e d c l a s s i f i c a t i o n s ,
" H u g s , p a t s , a n d s i m i l a r p h y s i c a l c o n t a c t ,
" A s s a u l t , i m p e d i n g o r b l o c k i n g m o v e m e n t , o r a n y p h y s i c a l i n t e r f e r e n c e w i t h n o r m a l
w o r k o r m o v e m e n t ;
" C a r t o o n s , p o s t e r s , a n d o t h e r m a t e n a l s r e f e r n n g t o s e x o r m e m b e r s h i p i n o n e o f
t h e p r o t e c t e d c l a s s i f i c a t i o n s ,
" T h r e a t s i n t e n d e d t o i n d u c e s e x u a l f a v o r s ,
" C o n t i n u e d s u g g e s t i o n s o r i n v i t a t i o n s t o s o c i a l e v e n t s o u t s i d e t h e w o r k p l a c e a f t e r
b e i n g t o l d s u c h s u g g e s t i o n s a r e u n w e l c o m e .
" D e g r a d i n g w o r d s o r o f f e n s i v e t e r m s o f a s e x u a l n a t u r e o r b a s e d o n t h e i n d i v i d u a l ' s
m e m b e r s h i p i n o n e o f t h e p r o t e c t e d c l a s s i f i c a t i o n s ;
" P r o l o n g e d s t a n n g o r l e e r i n g a t a p e r s o n ,
" S i m i l a r c o n d u c t d i r e c t e d a t a n i n d i v i d u a l o n t h e b a s i s o f r a c e , c o l o r , a n c e s t r y ,
r e l i g i o u s c r e e d , h a n d i c a p o r d i s a b i l i t y , m e d i c a l c o n d i t i o n , a g e ( o v e r 4 0 ) , m a n t a l
s t a t u s , s e x u a l o r i e n t a t i o n , o r a n y o t h e r p r o t e c t e d c l a s s i f i c a t i o n u n d e r a p p l i c a b l e
l a w .
S e c t i o n 8 . 5 P r o c e d u r e
E m p l o y e e s m a y p u r s u e e i t h e r i n t e r n a l o r e x t e m a l r e m e d i e s . E m p l o y e e s a r e h o w e v e r ,
s t r o n g l y e n c o u r a g e d t o r e p o r t s u s p e c t e d h a r a s s m e n t t o t h e C o m m i s s i o n f o r i m m e d i a t e
i n v e s t i g a t i o n a n d t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f a p p r o p n a t e r e m e d i e s .
1 I n t e r n a l R e p o r t i n g P r o c e d u r e
" A n y e m p l o y e e w h o b e l i e v e s t h a t h e o r s h e h a s b e e n t h e v i c t i m o f s e x u a l o r o t h e r
p r o h i b i t e d h a r a s s m e n t b y c o - w o r k e r s , s u p e r v i s o r s , c l i e n t s o r c u s t o m e r s v i s i t o r s ,
v e n d o r s , o r o t h e r s s h o u l d i m m e d i a t e l y n o t i f y h i s o r h e r s u p e r v i s o r o r , i n t h e
a l t e r n a t i v e t h e E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r o r t h e P e r s o n n e l O f f i c e r d e p e n d i n g o n w h i c h
i n d i v i d u a l t h e e m p l o y e e f e e l s m o s t c o m f o r t a b l e i n c o n t a c t i n g
" A d d i t i o n a l l y , s u p e r v i s o r s w h o o b s e r v e o r o t h e r w i s e b e c o m e a w a r e o f h a r a s s m e n t
t h a t v i o l a t e s t h i s p o l i c y h a v e a d u t y t o t a k e s t e p s t o i n v e s t i g a t e a n d r e m e d y s u c h
h a r a s s m e n t a n d p r e v e n t i t s r e c u r r e n c e
2 E x t e m a l R e p o r t i n g P r o c e d u r e
a A n y e m p l o y e e w h o b e l i e v e s t h a t h e o r s h e h a s b e e n t h e v i c t i m o f s e x u a l o r o t h e r
p r o h i b i t e d h a r a s s m e n t b y c o - w o r k e r s , s u p e r v i s o r s , c l i e n t s o r c u s t o m e r s , v i s i t o r s
v e n d o r s , o r o t h e r s m a y f i l e a c o m p l a i n t w i t h t h e C a l i f o r n i a D e p a r t m e n t o f F a i r
E m p l o y m e n t a n d H o u s i n g ( ' D F E H " ) a t 2 7 5 W . H o s p i t a l i t y L a n e , S u i t e 2 8 0 , S a n
B e r n a r d i n o , C a l i f o r n i a T h e p h o n e n u m b e r f o r D F E H i s l o c a t e d i n t h e p h o n e b o o k
u n d e r g o v e m m e n t a g e n c i e s .
3 1
Section 8.6 Investigation
1 Upon the filing of a complaint with RCTC the complainant will be provided with a copy of
this policy The Executive Director is the person designated by RCTC to investigate
complaints of harassment The Executive Director may, however, delegate the
investigation his/her discretion In the event the harassment complaint is against the
Executive Director, an investigator shall be appointed by the Commission
2 Charges filed with the DFEH are investigated by the DFEH In the event that an internal
investigation has also been conducted by the Commission the results of the
Commission s investigation may be used to form the basis of the Commission's response
to any charges filed with the DFEH
Section 8.7 Internal Documentation Procedure
1 When an allegation of harassment is made by an employee, the person to whom the
complaint is made shall immediately prepare a report of the complaint according to the
preceding section and submit it to the Executive Director or his/her designee (or in the
event the complaint is against the Executive Director, to the investigator appointed by the
Commission)
2 Investigations shall be commenced immediately and shall be completed without
unnecessary delay. The investigator shall make and keep a wntten record of the
investigation, including notes of verbal responses made to the investigator by the person
complaining of harassment, witnesses interviewed dunng the investigation, the person
against whom the complaint of harassment was made, and any other person contacted
by the investigation in connection with the investigation The investigator's notes shall be
made at the time the verbal interview is in progress Any other documentary evidence
shall be retained as part of the record of the investigation Upon completion of the
investigation, the results shall be given to the complainant the alleged harasser, and the
Personnel Officer
3 Based on the report and any other relevant information, the Executive Director (or the
Commission in the event the complaint is against the Executive Director) shall within a
reasonable period of time, determine whether the conduct of the person against whom
a complaint has been made constitutes harassment In making that determination the
Executive Director (or the Commission, in the event the complaint is against the Executive
Director) shall look at the record as a whole and at the totality of circumstances, including
the nature of the conduct in question; the context in which the conduct, if any, occurred,
and the conduct of the person complaining of harassment The determination of whether
harassment occurred will be made on a case -by -case basis by the Executive Director (or
the Commission, in the event the complaint is against the Executive Director)
32
Section 8.8 Confidentiality
All records and information relating to the investigation of any alleged harassment and resulting
disciplinary action shall be confidential, except to the extent disclosure is required by law, as part
of the investigatory or disciplinary process, or as otherwise reasonably necessary
Section 8.9 Remedies
1 Disciplinary Action
1 If the Executive Director (or the Commission, in the event the complaint is against
the Executive Director) determines that the complaint of harassment is founded,
the Executive Director (or the Commission, in the event the complaint is against
the Executive Director) shall take immediate and appropriate disciplinary action
consistent with the requirements of law and any personnel policies or procedures
pertaining to employee discipline Other steps may be taken to the extent
reasonably necessary to prevent recurrence of the harassment and to remedy the
complainant's loss, if any.
2 Disciplinary action shall be consistent with the nature and severity of the offense,
the rank of the harasser, and any other factors relating to the fair and efficient
administration of RCTC's operations
2 In the event a complaint is filed with the DFEH and the DFEH finds that the complaint has
ment, the DFEH will attempt to negotiate a settlement between the par -ties If not settled,
DFEH may issue a determination on the meats of the case.
1 Where a case is not settled and the DFEH finds a violation to exist, it can
prosecute the charging party's case before the Fair Employment and Housing
Commission ("FEHC") Legal remedies available through DFEH and FEHC for a
successful claim by an applicant, employee, or former employee include possible
reinstatement to a former lob, award of a lob applied for, back pay front pay,
attomeys' fees, and under appropnate circumstances, actual damages and/or
administrative fines
2 In the alternative, where the DFEH determines that a complaint lacks meat, or
within 150 days after filing a complaint with the DFEH, the DFEH shall inform the
alleged victim of his/her nght to request a nght-to-sue notice. Upon request by the
alleged victim, the DFEH may grant permission to withdraw the case and pursue
a court action
Section 8.10 Retaliation
Retaliation against anyone for opposing conduct prohibited by this policy or for filing a complaint
33
with or otherwise participating in an investigation, proceeding or hearing conducted by RCTC
DFEH, or FEHC is strictly prohibited and may subject the offending person to, among other
things, disciplinary action, up to and including, termination of employment
Section 8.11 Employee Obligation
1 Employees are not only encouraged to report instances of harassment, they are obligated
to report instances of harassment Harassment is wrong and it exposes the Commission
to potential liability, and a part of each employee's job is to reduce the Commission's
exposure to liability
2 Employees are required to cooperate in every investigation of harassment, including, but
not necessanly limited to
1 Coming forward with evidence, both favorable and unfavorable to a person
accused of harassment; and
2 Fully and truthfully making a wntten report or verbally answenng questions when
required to do so dunng the course of a RCTC investigation of alleged harassment
3 Knowingly, falsely accusing someone of harassment or otherwise knowingly giving false
or misleading information in an investigation of harassment shall be grounds for
disciplinary action up to and including, termination of employment
RULE 9 OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES
Section 9.1 Authorization for Outside Activities
Although RCTC recognizes the employee's right to engage in pnvate and/or commercial
activities outside the normal working hours, RCTC expects each employee to avoid those outside
activities which are a conflict of interest or which may potentially become a conflict of interest
Therefore, all employees interested in pursuing pnvate and/or commercial activities
outside normal working hours that have the potential for a conflict of interest shall be required
to present a written explanation of such activities to the employee's supervisor for approval A
copy of the wntten explanation and approval or disapproval by the department head shall be
forwarded to the Director of Administrative Services for insertion in the employee's personnel file
Section 9.2 Prohibited Activities
Employees shall avoid outside activity with individuals or companies doing business with
or soliciting business from RCTC Employees shall not engage in outside activity which may
unduly influence professional decisions, actions or judgment made on behalf of RCTC.
34
Employees shall not engage in outside activity which may depnve RCTC of their time attention
and loyalty during normal working hours Employees shall not engage in outside activity which
may require confidential information concerning RCTC Employees shall avoid significant
financial interest in companies doing business with or soliciting business from RCTC. Employees
shall not engage in outside activity reguinng the use of RCTC property, equipment or supplies
Employees shall not use RCTC stationary, forms or equipment, including telephones and
postage, in any capacity not directly related to the performance of assigned duties with RCTC
Section 9.3 Conflicting Activity
Employees conducting outside activities conflicting with, compromising or reflecting
unfavorably upon RCTC interests shall be requested to terminate such activities. Employees
continuing to conduct outside activities conflicting with, compromising or reflecting unfavorably
upon RCTC interests, after a request to terminate such activities, shall be subject to disciplinary
action Discipline shall be administered in accordance with these personnel policies
RULE 10 TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM
Section 10.1 Eligibility
Regular full-time employees of RCTC, who have completed at least 2080 hours of
consecutive service shall be eligible for tuition reimbursement pursuant to this section The
Commission will make available a maximum of $25 000 per fiscal year for tuition reimbursement
Effective July 1, 1998, an employee will be reimbursed up to $2,500 as adjusted by
inflation to cover tuition expenses incurred in any fiscal year If total employee tuition
reimbursement requests exceed available funding in a given fiscal year, reimbursement will be
made on a pro-rata basis measunng total reimbursement requests against total funding
available
Requirements for tuition reimbursement are as follows
a Courses are satisfactorily completed
b Appropriate proof of successful completion are submitted to the Personnel Officer
c Course of instruction will enable the employee to perform their present duties more
effectively or will prepare them for future opportunities into which they could
reasonably expect promotion or transfer at RCTC
d The hours of instruction for the course do not conflict with the employee's regularly
scheduled work day
35
Employees shall be eligible for reimbursement of tuition, textbooks, registration fees and
laboratory fees related to an approved course of instruction Employees shall be limited to a
maximum reimbursement of $2,500 or the adjusted inflated amount per employee per year
Employees shall not be eligible for reimbursement of late registration penalties or fees,
transportation costs, parking, interest or any other charge not specified as reimbursable in this
section
For the purpose of this policy, an accredited educational institution shall be defined as any
technical vocational, college, university, business or high school which has been accredited by
a recognized govemmental or professional accrediting body and has been approved by the
Executive Director
Employees shall submit a Tuition Reimbursement Request to their immediate Supervisor
for approval pnorto registration for the course. The immediate supervisor will review the request
for compliance with RCTC policies and either approve or disapprove the request If the request
is denied the immediate supervisor will state the reason for denial in the appropnate box The
supervisor shall forward the completed form to the Executive Director with a copy to the Director
of Administrative Services for review to assure compliance with RCTC policy One copy of the
completed form shall be forwarded to the employee
Section 10.2 Application for Reimbursement
Employees who successfully complete an approved course shall submit a request for
reimbursement to the Director of Administrative Services. Such request must include receipts for
all items for which the employee wishes to be reimbursed and a copy of the final grade report
with a grade of C or higher The Director of Administrative Services shall attach the required
documentation to the Tuition Reimbursement Request and forward one copy to the Accounting
Department for processing The Accounting Department shall prepare a reimbursement check
payable to the employee and forward the check to the employee
Section 10.3 Repayment of Tuition Reimbursement
As part of the Tuition Reimbursement Request, the employee shall agree that upon
voluntary termination of employment within 24 months following receipt of a tuition
reimbursement, there shall be a deduction from their final check in an amount equal to the tuition
reimbursement prorated over the 24-month period
The Director of Administrative Services shall maintain records of those employees
participating in the Tuition Reimbursement Program including the academic performance of
employees
RULE 11 VEHICLE OPERATION POLICY
36
Section 11.1 Policy
Dunng the course of employment with RCTC, employees may be required to operate their
personal vehicles to perform their assigned duties Because of this requirement a valid California
driver's license, a satisfactory dnwng record, and proof of insurance are conditions of
employment with RCTC No employee shall operate or dnve any motor vehicle on behalf of
RCTC unless the employee is licensed for the class of vehicle to be driven maintains a
satisfactory dnwng record and maintains adequate insurance
Section 11.2 Driver's's License
All applicants for employment and current employees of RCTC shall be required to
maintain a valid California Driver's License
Section 11.3 Driver's's Record
All applicants for employment with RCTC are required to possess a satisfactory dnwng
record On an annual basis, RCTC will perform a Department of Motor Vehicle check on
employees that are required to dnve and travel to meetings outside of RCTC offices
All current employees of RCTC shall be required to maintain a valid dnver's license as a
continuing condition of employment as set forth in Section 2 13 of these Policies
RULE 12 EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT
Section 12.1 Travel Expenses
RCTC shall reimburse employees and officers of RCTC for travel, lodging and other
expenses directly related to the conduct of RCTC business Employees shall provide receipts
for registrations, air or rail transportation, lodging, meals, and automobile rental
a Automobile - An RCTC vehicle may be used for official RCTC business as approved by
the employee's supervisor Use of such vehicle by more than one employee on official
RCTC business making the same tnp is encouraged Employees may reserve a RCTC
vehicle in advance RCTC vehicles are to be retumed to the RCTC parking site at the
completion of RCTC business Under no circumstances shall RCTC vehicles be taken
home or parked off site unless approved in writing by the Executive Director, or in the
event of specific cases as it relates to RCTC vehicle use must be approved by RCTC
Vehicle keys shall be retumed to the appropnate location upon completion of the business
tnp RCTC vehicles shall be retumed to the designated location with a full tank of
gasoline
b Automobile (Rental) - Rental charges for automobiles shall be limited to the reasonable
37
cost of non -luxury or specialty vehicles. Approval of rental vehicles shall be approved only
when reasonable and necessary.
c Automobile (Personal) -Use of personal automobile for authorized travel shall be
reimbursed at the fixed rate per mile as set by the Internal Revenue Service plus toll and
parking fees. For long distance travel, reimbursement shall not exceed the cost of
commercial or public transportation for such travel Any incidental travel will be
reimbursed at the Internal Revenue Service rate
d Air - Employee air travel shall be at coach accommodations on regularly scheduled air
service unless only single class service is offered or unless the cost differential between
first class and coach accommodations is less than ten dollars
e Lodging - Lodging in commercial hotels and motels shall be restncted to standard
accommodations. When traveling to attend conferences, lodging may be at designated
conference hotels Every effort will be made to obtain govemment rate
f Meals - Expenses for meals, including reasonable tips, shall be reimbursed as follows
$10 - breakfast, $15 - lunch, and $25 - dinner Any meals exceeding the dollar amount
as noted would be reimbursed upon presentation of a receipt which documents the
attendees and the purpose of the meeting associated with the meal An employee
conducting Commission business out of town and is unable to present a receipt will be
allowed to be reimbursed $40 per day to cover all meals. Employees are encouraged to
present receipts at all times when reimbursement is requested
g Communications - Expenses for telephone and telegraph charges shall be kept to a
minimum and shall be reimbursed for business purposes only For travel requiring an
overnight stay telephone charges for personal calls is permitted
h Registration Fees - Whenever possible, registration and payment for registration fees
should be made in advance The actual cost of registration for approved classes, seminar
conferences, etc shall be reimbursed by RCTC
i Business Expenses- Business meetings, luncheons dinners and entertainment expenses
shall be reimbursed only when such expense is reasonable and clearly identifiable as
relevant to RCTC business
Section 12.2 Other Official Expense Reimbursement
Other official expenses of a non -personal nature may be approved if supported by receipts
and a justification for the charge Laundry and dry cleaning charges will not be allowed unless
the trip is more than one week in duration.
Section 12.3 Travel Reimbursement
38
Employees shall be required to complete an expense reimbursement form in order to
obtain reimbursement for expenses The expense reimbursement form with supporting receipts
and documentation shall be attached to the expense reimbursement form and submitted to the
Accounting Department The Accounting Department shall reimburse approved employee travel
expenses by check.
Section 12.4 Travel Advance
Travel advance could be granted by the Executive Director to employees traveling on
RCTC business to defray the expenses of such travel only under extraordinary circumstances
This could be done by completing a cash advance request RCTC will extend an advance on
travel expenses for all employees who are engaged in business travel that extends beyond one
day Travel advance could only be granted by the Executive Director or the Deputy Executive
Director up to $200 Travel advance for the Executive Director will be in accordance to his
employment agreement
Approved employee cash advance requests shall be submitted to the Accounting
Department for payment at least five working days prior to the date of travel All employee cash
advances shall be accounted for on an approved employee reimbursement form, by return of the
advance funds or by a combination of these items
Section 12.5 Personal Automobile Travel
In the event of accident employees using a personal automobile for authorized travel in
conducting RCTC business must rely on personal assets, including insurance, for financial
protection Although RCTC interests are protected by insurance, RCTC of provides no insurance
to protect employees against damage to the employee's personal automobile or for damage to
the property of others or for death or personal injury to others as a result of an employee using
a personal automobile in conducting RCTC business
Employees suffering injury, dismemberment or death ansing from an accident incurred
in the performance of RCTC business shall be covered under terms of the California Workers
Compensation policy
RULE 13 EMPLOYEE CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINE
Section 13.1 Procedure
The Executive Director, with justification for such action shall have the nght to demote,
dismiss, reduce in pay, or suspend an employee without pay Notice of such action must be in
wnting
13 1 1 A regular status employee shall be good cause for dismissal, demotion
39
reduction in compensation, suspension or any other action taken for
disciplinary reasons as a result of the following examples of performance
or behavior This listing is representative and does not exhaust all possible
situations where disciplinary action may be required Discipline shall be
administered in a fair and consistent manner and without regard to race,
religion, age, sex or national origin or other unlawful consideration
i Dishonesty
u Incompetence
ui Unsatisfactory or negligence in lob performance
iv Insubordination, including actions that involve resistance to, defiance
of, or refusing to carry out a supervisor's lawful orders
v Absence without leave
vi Discourteous treatment of the public or other employees
vii Physical or mental unfitness to perform duties
13 1 2 The Executive Director may take disciplinary actions ranging from informal
conversations to termination depending on the nature of the problem The
type of discipline may be more of the severe disciplinary actions such as
• Counseling This is an informal discussion with the employee to
review standards, to evaluate his/her strengths and weaknesses, or
to offer suggestions or remedy for his/her performance or behavior
problem
• Repnmand The employee may be given an oral warning to improve
performance and/or behavior, or, a wntten notice that indicates that
further disciplinary action may be taken unless performance or
behavior improves
• Suspension. A permanent status employee shall not be suspended
for more than 40 working days
• Demotion An employee may be assigned to a lower paying position
or salary step
• Termination An employee may be removed from RCTC service
13 1 3 The Executive Director shall follow the pre -discipline (Skelly) process in all
cases where the disciplinary action involves employee property nghts such
as loss of pay, suspension without pay demotion or termination
• Pre -disciplinary hearings. Prior to the imposition of a major
disciplinary action which shall include, but is not limited to an
unpaid suspension of more than five (5) days, demotion, reduction
40
in pay of one (1) month or more or discharge all regular employees
shall be presented with a wntten Notice of Proposed Disciplinary
Action informing the employee as to his/her nght to a pre -disciplinary
heanng. The pre -discipline process is as follows
- Notice of Proposed Action - A written notice of the proposed
disciplinary action will be delivered to the employee
- Reason(s) for the Proposed Action - Reason(s) for the
proposed disciplinary action will be delivered to the employee
- Matenals Supporting Proposed Action - The employee will be
given a copy of or be provided access to, written materials,
reports and documents, if any, upon which the action is
based
- Right to Respond - The employee will have the right to
respond within a reasonable time (5 working days) either' a)
orally, b) in writing, or, c) both orally and in writing, either in
person or through a representative to the Executive Director.
- Notice of Determination -The Executive Director will notify the
employee by a written notice of a) discipline, b) the ongmal
allegation(s) c) the determination as to the charges, d) the
level of disciplinary action to be received, e) any applicable
final admonition(s) and appeal rights The Executive Director
will notify the employee if no disciplinary action will be taken.
• Any time that an employee is to be disciplined (written reprimand,
Skelly meeting, grievance meeting) or to be interviewed regarding a
matter in which there is reason to believe that the employee may be
disciplined, he/she will have the right for representation It is the
employee s responsibility to notify the Executive Director that they
will have representation at the meeting and failure to request will
constitute waiver to representation at that stage
13 1 4 Whenever in the judgement of the Executive Director an employee does
not satisfactorily fulfill the requirements of a position to which the employee
was promoted and is presently serving promotional probation penod, such
an employee shall be terminated unless there is a vacancy within the
employee s lob classification immediately pnor to promotion In this event,
the employee may be retumed to his/her most recently held position, pay
and seniority at the option of the Executive Director Notice of such action
must be in wnting
41
RULE 14 GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
Section 14.1 Policy
RCTC has established a gnevance procedure Gnevances are defined in Section 1.8 of
these policies and procedures Employees of RCTC shall be required to comply with the
procedures set forth regarding items which are gnevable under these policies Complaints
involving performance evaluations, denial of meat pay increases, employee classification,
disciplinary actions, refection from probation, and termination of seasonal, temporary, and casual
employees are not gnevable
Employees of the RCTC who pursue grievances according to the provisions of RCTC
Grievance Policy and Procedure shall be free of harassment by fellow employees, supervisors
and administration and shall in no way effect their present or future employment status
Section 14.2 Steps in the Grievance Procedure
The steps of the gnevance procedure are as follows
A Gnevances must be discussed with the employee's immediate supervisor, or
his/her superior in the event that the employee's problem is with the supervisor,
within five (5) working days of the occurrence of the event giving nse thereto. The
supervisor or his/her superior will attempt to resolve the matter and will, within a
reasonable period of time issue his/her decision on the matter in wnting
B If not previously resolved, the employee may, within five (5) days of receiving the
written decision of the employee's supervisor, submit a written request for review
by the Executive Director The Executive Director or his/her designee shall make
such investigation of the facts and issues as is warranted under the circumstances
and shall make a determination within five (5) working days of receipt of the
request and the wntten decision of the supervisor
C If the employee is dissatisfied with the determination of the Executive Director, the
employee shall, within two (2) working days of receipt of the Executive Director's
determination, notify the Director of Administrative Services of the employee's
desire to appeal such determination Said notice shall be in writing.
D The Director of Administrative Services shall arrange a meeting between the
employee the Executive Director and the RCTC Chairman At such meeting,
discussion shall be limited to the issues raised in the initial grievance complaint
and an eamest effort shall be made to resolve the problem
E Following the meeting, the Director of Administrative Services shall issue a
statement of the conclusions and findings of the meeting The findings issued
42
shall be final
RULE 15 LAYOFF POLICY AND PROCEDURE
Section 15.1 Policy
Whenever in the judgement of the Executive Director, it becomes necessary, either in the
interest of economy, or because the necessity for a position no longer exists, the employee
holding such position may be laid off without disciplinary action being taken and without the right
of appeal or heanng unless otherwise required by law
Section 15.2 Order of Lay-off
The Executive Director shall designate the job classification(s) to be affected and the
number of employees to be eliminated within the organization The Executive Director shall take
into consideration the lob performance, length of service of employees, and other relevant factors
in prepanng a recommended lay-off list provided, however, that no regular or probationary
employee shall be laid off from his/her position in any department while any temporary, seasonal
casual or contract employee is serving in the same lob descriptions within the organization
Section 15.3 Reemployment List
The names of regular and probationary employees laid off or demoted in lieu of lay-off
shall be placed upon reemployment lists for six months for those classes requiring basically the
same qualifications duties and responsibilities of the class from which lay-off or demotion in lieu
of lay-off was made
RULE 16 REPORTS AND RECORD KEEPING
Section 16.1 Personnel Files
The Director of Administrative Services shall maintain a personnel record for each
employee in the service of ROTC showing the name, title of position held, the department to
which assigned salary changes in employment status, and such other information as may be
considered pertinent
Section 16.2 Change of Status Report
Every appointment, transfer, promotion, demotion, change of salary rate, or any other
temporary or permanent change in status of employees shall be reported to the Director of
Administrative Services
Section 16.3 Personnel Action Form
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A personnel action form shall be completed for each employee hired by RCTC. The
personnel action form shall include all employee information including benefit selection
information A copy of the personnel action form shall be included in the employee's personnel
file The Executive Director must approve all personnel action forms as a result of an
appointment, promotion, demotion, transfer and dismissal
Section 16.4 Time Cards
All RCTC employees shall be required to complete a time card recording all hours worked,
vacation sick leave, administrative leave, etc. Time cards shall be signed by the employee's
supervisor and forwarded to the Payroll Department no later than 12 noon on the next day
following the end of the pay period. In the case of the Directors, time cards shall be signed by
the Executive Director or the Deputy Executive Director
Section 16.5 Records Review and Access
The Director of Administrative Services shall review each employee's file annually and
eliminate mappropnate or outdated information
Access to employee records is restricted to the following.
1 Personnel department employees with a business need -to -know
2 The direct supervisor of an individual employee with a business need -to -know
3 The Executive Director with a business need -to -know
Section 16.6 Employee Access
An employee may examine his or her personnel records periodically an employee has
the right to ask for a correction or a deletion, or write a statement of disagreement with any item
in the file in the presence of a Personnel representative The employee may not, however,
remove any item from the file
Section 16.7 Disclosure of Employee Information
All requests for information about a current retired or terminated employee must be
referred to the Director of Administrative Services The Director of Administrative Services may
disclose to prospective employers dates of employment, final title or position and fob location
With the employee's wntten permission, the Director of Administrative Services may give
employment and salary history. Information will be given to duly authorized requests from law
enforcement agencies including investigations, summonses, subpoena and judicial orders
RCTC need not inform an employee that personal information has been disclosed to law
enforcement agencies if it concems an investigation into the employee's on -the -fob conduct,
especially when an employee's actions endanger other employees or RCTC security and
property
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Section 16.8 Protection of Confidentiality
Privacy of employee records refers to the collection, use, access, dissemination retention
and confidentiality of data maintained on employees. RCTC has a commitment to the privacy
of personal information kept in its personnel records
RULE 17 RCTC Computer, Word Processing, Electronic and Voice Mail
Confidentiality (Access and disclosure) Policy
Section 17.1 Purpose
The purpose of computer and other electronic systems, including, but not limited to word
processing, electronic and voice mad are to provide an efficient and effective means of internal
and external communications This policy addresses access to and the disclosure of information
from such electronic systems.
RCTC computer, word processing, electronic and voice mad systems are a business tool
These systems will be used in a professional manner for legitimate business purposes only and
at all times remain the property of RCTC
Section 17.2 Access and Disclosure
Because all computer, word processing electronic and voice mad systems remain the
property of RCTC and are for official RCTC use only, records, files, transmissions, passwords
and other products or contents of these systems are not confidential therefore, employees can
have no expectation of pnvacy in any documents or other materials they write, receive, store, or
send in the use of these systems
RCTC reserves the right to access and disclose all products and contents of these
systems for any purpose RCTC reserves the right to monitor use of these systems to prevent
abuse enforce other policies, and access information Access may occur because but is not
limited to situations indicating impropriety, violation of RCTC policy, legal requirements
suspected cnminal activities, breach of system secunty or to locate substantive information or
monitor employee performance and conduct
The contents of these systems may be disclosed within or outside of RCTC without
employee permission
rights
RCTC has unlimited access to protect the security of these systems or RCTC's property
Section 17.3 Personal Use
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Incidental and occasional personal use of the electronic systems covered by this Policy
is permitted within RCTC, but such use will be treated no differently from official use There is
no expectation of pnvacy with respect to such personal use as such use is subject to the same
access and review rights of any other use of these systems.
Section 17.4 Guidelines for the Use of E-Mail
1 RCTC s electronic mail system is for official RCTC business and shall not be used for
unrelated purposes, including, but not limited to, the following
1 To send "chain" or similar type "letters"
2 To send documents in violation of copyright laws
3 To knowingly open mad not directed to you.
4 To use for personal or social purposes other than occasional, incidental use is
permitted
5 To send messages in violation of RCTC secunty policies
6 To forward electronic messages without a legitimate business purpose under
circumstances likely to lead to embarrassment of the sender or to violate the
clearly xpressed desire of the sender to restrict additional dissemination
2 Avoid 'carbon copying" individuals who have NO direct involvement or "need -to -know
Likewise, " e-mail " should only be used on very rare occasions when every person on the
system has a direct need to know E-mail communications should only be disclosed to
authorized employees
3 Avoid ' forwarding" e-mail to a third party unless necessary (see "carbon copying") When
forwarding explain the reason for the forwarding action and edit out any potentially
inappropriate contents If in doubt about the appropriateness of forwarding a given piece
of mad, check with the onginator for guidance
4 When sending an e-mail requiring "action," be sure to indicate which "TO" addressee(s)
is/are to take the action
5 Do not "say anything in an e-mail message that could prove embarrassing or
compromising to you or others Despite what you think, e-mail is not a "pnvate" system
(see RCTC policy regarding access and disclosure)
6 Avoid potentially contentious exchanges through e-mail.
7 Remember that you are solely responsible for the management of your mailbox and its
associated folders E-mail documents will remain in a folder until you " delete " or " trash
' them Even then they still exist in your "wastebasket ' "Wastebaskets can be purged
manually or automatically by setting the purge cycle This cycle can be set from "O" days
to never A purge cycle of 7-10 days is considered appropriate E-Mad that you wish to
maintain for longer penods should remain in their specified folders and/or converted to
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hard copy.
8 Use common sense in determining when to use e-mail, in what is said, and to whom
9 Language which is insulting, offensive, disrespectful demeaning, or sexually suggestive
will not be tolerated Harassment or any form, sexual or ethnic slurs, and obscenities or
any representation of obscenities, or to send anonymous communications is stnctly
prohibited Sending a carbon copy of these types of offensive e-mail messages to a
separate party will not be tolerated Failure to comply will result in disciplinary action up
to and including termination
It is important to understand that electronic communications are the property of RCTC,
are subject to complete access and review by RCTC officials , may be subpoenaed by a
court of law, and are not subject to a nght of pnvacy
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