The staff union at the University of South Florida is asking the school to reinstate a program that allows workers to donate their sick time.
Effective January of this year, USF’s Donated Sick Leave Program was axed. The program had allowed employees who had extra sick time to donate it to coworkers who fell ill and needed extra time.
Theresa Freeman took advantage of the program in 2013 when she was diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer. But when the cancer came back this year, Freeman found herself without the time or money she needed to get through treatment.
“I worked for 16 years there," she said. "I don’t expect them to pay me for free, but that donated leave from other employees who earned that over the years really helps."
Freeman, a mother of three, says she’s facing eviction. She and her husband say they’re coming up short on electricity bills and the car payment. USF has offered her full pay and benefits through the end of January. However, she says treatment will go far beyond that date.
It’s stories like these that have USF’s branch of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) asking USF to reinstate the program.
Susie Shannon, President of USF AFSCME 3342, says workers would have donated nearly two years of sick leave to Freeman if the program were to continue in January.
“The leave we want to give our coworkers is a benefit that we workers earn, that the state allows us to share, and that we want to use for good rather than see it reabsorbed into the University’s spreadsheets.”
However, USF Spokesperson Adam Freeman says there are no plans to reinstate the program. The school says it offers “very generous” leave benefits to eligible employees, including a sick leave pool.
USF says the decision to eliminate the program was made as part of collective bargaining negotiations last year in an effort that should save the school $1 million in financial liability per year.
Shannon says the union will continue to push the issue during negotiations this year.