Galveston County employees could lose the ability to carry over vacation time, cash out unused leave at retirement and use sick days near holidays without a doctor's note under a proposed policy overhaul headed to a workshop Monday, Aug. 17, at the Calder Road annex in League City.
The proposal, listed on the Commissioners Court special meeting agenda as revisions to HR Policy Manual HR-008, has drawn pushback from county workers who say they were caught off guard by the changes.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Joe Giusti told KGTX 7 News the item will go through a workshop before commissioners decide what to adopt. He said he does not agree with everything in the proposal as written.
"Our employees are our greatest asset," Giusti said. "We're not the highest paid folks around, but we've always touted the great benefits they do have. I don't wanna particularly see us change them that much. Should we change some things? Yes. But not all of it."
What would change
Under the current system, employees accrue vacation biweekly and can carry up to 150% of their annual entitlement into the next year. Upon retirement or separation, they can receive a payout of up to 120 hours or 150% of their entitlement, depending on hire date.
The proposal would replace that with a flat annual award: 80 hours for employees with one to four years of service, 120 hours for five to nine years and 160 hours for 10 or more years. Any unused vacation would be forfeited at year-end. Payouts upon separation, retirement or death would be eliminated entirely.
Sick leave would shift from biweekly accrual to an annual 80-hour award. Unused sick time could still carry over but would be capped at 320 hours. Employees hired before Oct. 1, 2011, who currently qualify for partial sick-leave payouts, would lose that benefit.
No employee would receive a sick-leave payout under the new policy.
The proposal also adds a documentation requirement: employees calling in sick on the workday immediately before or after a county holiday would need a doctor's note and department-head approval.
Why the county says it's needed
Giusti said accumulated employee leave creates an unfunded financial liability that can grow over time and could affect the county's bond rating. He said the proposal was brought to his attention by the Human Resources Department but that he was unsure who originally developed it.
The county has not disclosed the current dollar value of its accumulated leave liability or whether a bond-rating agency has specifically flagged it as a concern. KGTX 7 News asked county officials for those figures; none had responded as of Wednesday, Aug. 12.
Employees raise concerns about process
Multiple county employees contacted KGTX 7 News with concerns about both the substance of the proposal and how it was communicated. One employee, who asked not to be identified, said they learned about the changes secondhand from a coworker who happened to spot the item on the Commissioners Court agenda.
It remains unclear what notice, if any, was provided to employees before the item was placed on the agenda. Key questions are also unanswered: whether existing leave balances would be grandfathered, how the changes would interact with maternity leave or FMLA protections, and how many employees would be affected.
What's next
The workshop begins at 9:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 17, at the Calder Road facility in League City. Giusti said employees and supervisors will have an opportunity to voice concerns before commissioners determine what changes move forward.
No formal vote date has been set.
