THIS HANDBOOK IS NOT A CONTRACT OF …

1 County of Union employee HANDBOOK Revised September 2004 - i - The purpose of this HANDBOOK is to acquaint employees with Union County ("County") employment. The policies and practices contained in this HANDBOOK are only guidelines and may be canceled or changed by the County at any time with or without notice. this HANDBOOK is not intended to nor does it create an employment CONTRACT between the County and any of its employees. this HANDBOOK IS NOT A CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT. Nothing contained in this HANDBOOK constitutes a contractual right, express or implied. No provision contained in this HANDBOOK or any other policy or procedure may be changed by any oral statement but must be in writing signed by an authorized representative of the County.

2 The County retains all rights to discharge or discipline employees. As a County employee , you agree to conform to all applicable policies, procedures, rules, regulations, statutes and collective negotiations agreements. this HANDBOOK is not meant to affect, or to be a comprehensive description of County, State or Federal statutes, rules or regulations, Civil Service, disciplinary procedures, employment benefits, workers' compensation, leaves from employment, employee compensation, the policies, practices and procedures of the County, or collective negotiations. Employees' rights and responsibilities are always governed by existing law and any applicable collective negotiations agreement or established past practice. Nothing in this HANDBOOK provides legal rights in addition to those, if any, provided to employees under County, State or Federal statutes, rules, regulations, collective negotiations agreements or established past practice.

3 If any part of this HANDBOOK conflicts with County, State or Federal statutes, rules, regulations, a collective negotiations agreement or established past practice, the part of the HANDBOOK which conflicts with a County, State or Federal statute, rule, regulation, collective negotiations agreement or established past practice will be null and void as it applies to the affected group of employees. Likewise, if at any time, any County, State or Federal statutes, rules, regulations or collective negotiations agreement should be amended, this HANDBOOK will be deemed to have been likewise amended, even though actual changes to the HANDBOOK have not been made. The County recognizes that many of its employees' terms and conditions of employment are governed by collective negotiations agreements and established past practices.

4 this HANDBOOK does not supersede or affect any term or condition of employment that may exist in any collective negotiations agreement or that may have been established through past practice. If any part of this HANDBOOK conflicts with any term or condition of employment expressly set forth in a collective negotiations agreement or established through past practice, that part of the HANDBOOK will be null and void as it applies to the affected group of employees. County of Union employee HANDBOOK Revised September 2004 - ii -UNCLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES 11A:3-5 provides that incumbents in an unclassified title serve for a fixed term or at the pleasure of the appointing authority. The laws and regulations which apply to Career Service employees (also known as Civil Service employees) do not apply to unclassified employees.

5 The portions of this HANDBOOK which refer to the rules promulgated by the New Jersey State Department of Personnel ( 4A:1-1 et seq.) do not apply to unclassified employees. However, all other County, State or Federal statutes, rules and regulations referred to in this HANDBOOK do apply to unclassified employees. EMPLOYEES IN COLLECTIVE BARGAINING UNITS Many County employees have job titles where the terms and conditions of employment are governed by a collective negotiations agreement between the County and the recognized union(s). If an employee s job title is part of a recognized bargaining unit, the employee should always consult his or her collective negotiations agreement and the Civil Service laws and regulations, if applicable.

6 NON-CONTRACTUAL EMPLOYEES An employee whose job title is not the subject of a collective negotiations agreement should consult the Union County Administrative Code and any applicable Federal, State or local statutes, rules and regulations. County of Union employee HANDBOOK Revised September 2004 - iii -FREEHOLDER MESSAGE .. vii COUNTY MANAGER MESSAGE .. viii FOREWORD .. 1 OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION .. 1 FORM OF GOVERNMENT .. 2 ORGANIZATION 3 employee REPRESENTATION CHART .. 4 TELEPHONE DIRECTORY FOR THE PERSONNEL DIVISION .. 7 EMPLOYMENT STATUS .. 8 CONTRACTUAL & NON-CONTRACTUAL STATUS .. 8 CAREER SERVICE EMPLOYEES .. 8 JOB TRAINING PARTNERSHIP ACT EMPLOYEES .. 10 CONDUCT OF 11 ETHICAL CONDUCT .. 11 CONDUCT RELATED TO ELECTIONS.

7 12 CONDUCT RELATED TO POLITICAL ACTIVITY .. 12 DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS - CAREER SERVICE EMPLOYEES .. 13 GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE .. 14 POLICIES, PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES .. 15 ABSENTEEISM & LATENESS .. 15 BACKGROUND 15 CHANGE OF NAME OR ADDRESS .. 16 CONFIDENTIAL employee INFORMATION .. 16 DISCRIMINATION PROHIBITED .. 16 DRESS CODE .. 19 DRUG/ALCOHOL ABUSE .. 19 DRUG/ALCOHOL TESTING RELATED TO COMMERCIAL DRIVING LICENSES .. 19 employee ASSISTANCE PROGRAM .. 19 County of Union employee HANDBOOK Revised September 2004 - iv -EXIT INTERVIEWS .. 20 FITNESS FOR DUTY .. 20 HOURS OF WORK .. 20 HOUSEKEEPING .. 21 IDENTIFICATION BADGE .. 21 LEGAL REPRESENTATION .. 21 MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS .. 22 OPEN PUBLIC RECORDS ACT (OPRA) .. 22 ORIENTATION - NEW EMPLOYEES.

8 22 PARKING .. 23 RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS .. 23 SAFETY .. 24 SECURITY - VISITOR CONTROL .. 24 SHINING STAR PROGRAM (formerly, employee of the Month) .. 24 SMOKE-FREE WORKPLACE .. 25 UNIFORM 25 USE OF COUNTY PROPERTY .. 25 VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE .. 26 WEATHER POLICY .. 26 COMPENSATION .. 26 SALARY .. 26 COMPENSATORY TIME (NON-CONTRACTUAL EMPLOYEES) .. 27 DEDUCTIONS .. 27 DIRECT DEPOSIT .. 30 PAY DAY .. 30 PROMOTIONS .. 30 PERFORMANCE EVALUATION .. 30 RETURN TO PAY STATUS FROM LEAVE .. 30 ABSENCES FROM 31 AUTHORIZATION .. 31 ABSENCE WITHOUT PERMISSION .. 31 SICK LEAVE WITH PAY .. 31 DONATED LEAVE PROGRAM .. 34 County of Union employee HANDBOOK Revised September 2004 - v -VACATION (ANNUAL LEAVE) .. 37 HOLIDAYS .. 39 PERSONAL, BUSINESS OR RELIGIOUS LEAVE.

9 40 MATERNITY LEAVE .. 40 JURY SERVICE .. 41 DEATH IN THE FAMILY .. 41 CONVENTION LEAVE .. 41 MILITARY LEAVE .. 41 LEAVES OF ABSENCE WITHOUT PAY .. 42 FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE .. 42 FURLOUGH (VOLUNTARY LEAVE OF ABSENCE WITHOUT PAY) .. 42 RETURN TO PAY STATUS FROM LEAVE .. 43 HEALTH BENEFITS .. 43 HEALTH BENEFIT PLANS .. 43 MEDICARE .. 44 DENTAL PLAN .. 44 PRESCRIPTION PLAN .. 45 TEMPORARY DISABILITY PLAN .. 45 LONG TERM DISABILITY PLAN .. 46 EXPLANATION OF BENEFITS ON LEAVE .. 46 MANDATORY employee 47 COBRA .. 47 HEALTH INSURANCE AND PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 1996 .. 47 PENSION - PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM (PERS) .. 47 LIFE INSURANCE - PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM .. 48 PENSION - POLICE & FIREMEN S RETIREMENT SYSTEM ("PFRS").

10 49 SOCIAL SECURITY .. 49 UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION .. 49 OPTIONAL employee BENEFITS .. 50 ADULT DAY CARE .. 50 CHILD CARE .. 50 ANNUITY PROGRAM .. 50 CREDIT UNION .. 50 County of Union employee HANDBOOK Revised September 2004 - vi -DEFERRED COMPENSATION .. 51 DIRECT DEPOSIT .. 51 EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS .. 51 LOANS .. 52 LIFE INSURANCE (NON-PENSION) .. 53 SAVINGS BONDS .. 53 REIMBURSEMENT FOR UNUSED SICK LEAVE AT RETIREMENT .. 53 REIMBURSEMENT FOR UNUSED VACATION LEAVE AT RETIREMENT .. 53 OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES AND ILLNESSES .. 54 WORKERS' COMPENSATION .. 54 ACCIDENT REPORTING PROCEDURES .. 54 FOLLOW UP VISITS .. 55 WORKERS COMPENSATION PAYMENT .. 56 RUNNELLS SPECIALIZED HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES .. 57 MODIFIED OR LIGHT DUTY .. 58 COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ORGANIZATIONS.