An agreement between APSA and Human
Resources has been reached on Policy AD 10.11, Reimbursement of
Professional Development Expenses.
We are pleased to report that after
much discussion with Human Resources (HR), and prior to the arbitration
scheduled for April 2016, airfare to conferences, even with vacation added on
to the time away, will continue to be reimbursed as a professional development
expense.
Last year, we filed a grievance when
one of our members attended a conference in Europe and added vacation to their
time away. Upon returning to work, he was denied reimbursement for his airfare,
due to the addition of vacation to his trip.
In accordance with the Memorandum of
Settlement signed on February 16, 2016, the member’s airfare will be fully
reimbursed.
Going forward, members who take
vacation in or around conference time will not be disentitled from receiving
reimbursement for that travel expense. Please note that any/all costs incurred due to the addition of
vacation time such as: additional
airline costs, hotels, meals, etc., are not expenses covered under the Policy
and will not be subject to reimbursement.
Thank you to both APSA and HR staff who
worked to settle the grievance.