An email went out on Monday from the Institute and our union that was intended to clarify communication around vacations and paid time off (PTO). In gauging the reaction on our campus, we have learnt of many instances across departments where unit members are now having difficulties navigating vacation days. We apologize for the confusion around vacation and recognize that the Institute’s inconsistent messaging to PIs and departments has caused delays and distress for many of our unit members.
Some background: before our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) many students in our grad unit were being denied any vacation days at all. Per Article 38 of our CBA “Vacation and Sick Days”, grads are now entitled to ten days of vacation, and postdocs are entitled to twenty one days of vacation. Per Article 39 of our CBA “Side Letter – Interpretation/Application of Vacation and Sick Days”, all unit members are within their rights to negotiate for more vacation days, and any previous arrangements can remain. Our CBA was fought for and won to improve our working conditions at Caltech. We will continue to work with Caltech on contract interpretation with a shared goal of preserving the research culture that makes us a research powerhouse.
Per conversations with departments and PIs, it is clear that much work and clarification is needed for departments, PIs, and unit members to be on the same page around vacation tracking. If required to use Time Away by your PI, our union’s position is that the app is a tool for guaranteeing our entitled vacation time and not a ceiling on our working conditions.
As it stands:
- The Institute has decided to mandate universal use of the Time Away app. As many of us are aware, such a system would change the research culture at Caltech, and our union has communicated this to the Institute in multiple Union-Management Committee Meetings.
- Departments are still in the process of learning how to use Time Away, and are instructing PIs and unit members on how to do so. Much work remains to ensure unit members can take their entitled days off within a user-friendly process.
- If your PI requires you to use Time Away, you and your PI can still agree to more than 10 (grads) or 21 (postdocs) days of vacation. In this case you are only required to use Time Away to record your entitled days. Any additional days you take (per CBA Article 39) do not need to be recorded in the app.
- Per conversations at Union-Management Committee meetings, work from home does not count as days off.
- In addition, PTO also includes 15 days of sick leave.
If you have any questions, would like guidance on how to speak to your PI regarding time off, or are having difficulty using the Time Away app, email organize@cgpu.org.
In solidarity!
UAW 2478 Executive Board