***This message was sent on behalf of Kathy Moore. Please do not reply to this message.***

TO: Business Officers and UCPath Initiators/Approvers
FR: Kathy Moore, Compensation Manager, Human Resources
       Amy Arnold, UCPath Workforce Administration Supervisor, Human Resources
RE: REVISED - Holiday Pay Eligibility and General Curtailment Information

With the Thanksgiving holiday and winter break quickly approaching, questions regarding eligibility for holiday pay may arise.  The information provided below summarizes holiday pay eligibility for each employee group, by employee category. For more information and guidance on holiday pay, please reference the applicable policies that govern your employees (policy covered staff - PPSM 2.210 Absence from Work, Article III, Section H or represented staff - the applicable collective bargaining agreement). 

Eligibility for Holiday Pay:

Unlike vacation and sick leave, holiday pay is earned in FULL hour increments only and holiday pay eligibility is dependent on the employee’s total appointment percentage and exemption status.

NOTE: Holiday eligibility and compensation for a holiday are two separate issues. First, determine if an employee is eligible to receive holiday pay and then determine the number of holiday hours to pay based on the instructions in the chart above.

*Applies to Career, Partial-Year Career, Limited, and Casual/Restricted Employees.
**Pay Status, for the purposes of holiday pay eligibility, generally includes time on vacation leave, sick leave, or approved leave (if less than the time period specified in the contract or policy).
*** Please note that the definition of the Quadriweekly cycle (QWC) is different between the two sets of employee groups above.

An expanded version of the chart above, including examples is located on the HR website at https://www.hr.ucsb.edu/ucpath/tools-and-resources under the Holiday Pay section. Also located here are additional resources that you might find helpful in determining accruals.

General Curtailment (Winter Closure) Information:

Some campus departments may close during the period of December 24, 2020 through January 1, 2021. The paid holidays during this period are December 24, 25, 31 and January 1.  Departments that close additional days during this period (e.g., December 28, 29, and 30) will have obtained prior approval for curtailment from their control point.

For departments with curtailment dates, the Curtailment Leave/Period provisions in PPSM or the applicable collective bargaining agreement apply. In general:

  • Employees have the option to use vacation, compensatory time (if available) or leave-without-pay. 
  • An employee electing to take leave-without-pay during the curtailment closure may continue to accrue vacation and sick leave credits.
  • Policy-covered staff may use up to three days of vacation leave in advance of actual accrual in situations where employees may have insufficient vacation accruals to use during the curtailment closure. 
  • Represented staff may be advanced vacation leave in accordance with the terms of the applicable collective bargaining agreement.    

The HR/Leave Administrative Team will be scheduling a Zoom session next week to address questions related to holiday closures and leave of absences for staff.  Details will be sent out to the Managers/Supervisor listserv on Monday, December 7th.

If you have additional questions regarding holiday pay, please access the FAQs on the HR website at http://www.hr.ucsb.edu/faqs and search for the keyword “holiday.”  You can also contact Amy Arnold for assistance by submitting a Service Now ticket (HR Services > Position Management & Workforce Admin > Workforce Admin Question). Lastly, you may also contact the compensation analyst (https://www.hr.ucsb.edu/compensation/contacts) that supports your department.

Thank you and happy holidays!