Did you know that you could get 24 hours per year of paid time off for training? That's right. Under the CUE-UC contract, all career employees with satisfactory evaluations are entitled to take off 24 hours in a calendar year for job related or University career related training.

Q: What is job or career-related training?

A: Job-related training is training that is useful (not necessarily required) for your current position. University-career related training means that if you can identify a position at the university that you hope to eventually have, whether is its cook, or financial analyst, or librarian, or the job title just above yours, you can get time off to get training. Q: How do I request this time off? A: You should ask your supervisor, well in advance, and explain the kind of training you want. Requests for time off cannot be unreasonably denied, but can be denied for operational considerations. Q: How else can I get the time off to attending training? A: Unless your request is denied, you could also be granted any of the following (but it is not required): "flexible or alternate work scheduling, leave without pay, leave at full or part pay, full or part payment of fees and expenses, and/or temporary or part-time reassignment in another department, in order to get the training."

Q: Will the university pay for the cost of the training?

A: Ordinarily, if you are getting training provided by UC, your department will cover the cost. But the contract does not require them to pay your fees, only allow you to take the time off, with pay.

Q: What if I didn't use my training hours last year?

A: If you didn't use all your 24 hours last year, if you put in a written request by November 1, you can carry over all 24 hours of paid release time to next year, and add it to the 24 hours for next year.

Full text of that contract article is on the web here: http://www.cueunion.org/bargaining/contract/art38.php If you have any questions please contact us at: 2161 Allston Way, Suite B, Berkeley, CA 94704  berkeleycue@queunion.org  (510) 841-0700