Are certain employees at the University of Virginia Medical Center not allowed to work during the next couple of days, regardless of their personal circumstances and will those employees will be forced to pay for the privilege (contrary to standard inclement weather policy)?

See the anonymous announcement below.

From: Helpdesk
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2003 5:18 PM
To: CL Announcements
Subject: Hurricane Isabel Action Plan.doc

HURRICANE ISABEL ACTION PLAN

In anticipation of the impact of Hurricane Isabel, Medical Center Leadership has developed a set of actions based on our severe weather plan to assure continuity of patient care services and the safety of our staff. Based on current predictions, there is the likelihood that Charlottesville and surrounding counties will experience high wind and heavy rain. There will be a danger of falling trees, downed power lines, flooding, and other weather events that will create hazards for people and property. We do not want our employees to be at risk of personal injury in an effort to get to or from work.

The plan that we have developed allows the Medical Center to operate with a core group of employees who will remain here for the duration of the severe weather. This strategy will assure that relief staff are available, thus avoiding employee travel during the worst of the storm. Under this plan, many of our employees will be able to remain at home to focus their energy on their personal safety and the safety of their loved ones.

Hurricane Isabel Action Plan

* Managers will identify a list of designated personnel - core caregivers and critical support personnel necessary to ensure continuity of services.

* Designated personnel will be asked to report to work with a change of clothes and food and be prepared to remain until the weather moderates and a replacement shift is available, possibly as long as 24 hours. A place to sleep will be provided, but there will not be a bed in the space.

* We cannot accommodate family members or pets of designated personnel.

* There will be limited emergency child care provided at KCRC for designated staff who are unable to make arrangements for outside child care.

* Employees not identified as designated personnel by managers should not report to work until we have resumed our regular schedule. Non-designated employees will be able to use accrued PTO. In cases where the employee has no accrued PTO, the employee will take leave without pay. It is our hope that we will be able to resume our normal schedule at some point on Friday.

* The South Garage has been identified as the emergency parking area for designated staff. Those with East and West garage parking will maintain their assignment in those garages.

* Clinical Services:

Thursday, September 18

All services will be provided as usual during regular business hours with routine ending time approximately 5:00 pm.

Discharges should be expedited so that patients can leave the hospital premises no later than 3:00 pm to arrive safely at their destination before severe weather threatens.

Operating Room schedule unchanged. Patients who cannot travel home after discharge will be assisted with overnight accommodations.

Services scheduled for Thursday evening are to be cancelled.

Friday, September 19

All Clinics and support services in ambulatory care buildings will be closed. A multi-service clinic area will be open within the Primary Care Center to see patients who arrive without knowledge that clinics are closed, or for other walk-ins who require clinic service. Details will be forthcoming, as will a specific schedule for dialysis services.

Diagnostic procedures and treatment areas will be closed in the morning for all areas. Some services will resume, weather permitting, by mid-day. A specific schedule will be issued at a later time.

Operating Room schedule is unchanged-- NO cancellations. Patients needing accommodations pre-surgery, will be assisted with overnight accommodations.

Medical Center Leadership is grateful to those employees who will be here with us during the severe weather. We encourage all other employees to remain alert to changing conditions within the safety of your homes. The announcement that we have resumed our regular schedule will be made via radio and television announcements and on our inclement weather lines: 243-SNOW and 924-SNOW.

For reasons that we are trying to learn, a memo changing the policy was issued the following morning (Thursday):

UVA MEDICAL CENTER
COMPENSATION GUIDELINES DURING HURRICANE ISABEL

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH EARLY CLOSING:
Employees who were directed to leave work by 3:00 p.m. or earlier will be able to record the time not worked for the remainder of the shift as "Inclement Weather" Payroll Code "ICW". This time will be entered by the timekeeper and cannot be clocked through the TACS system. Employees will not be required to use PTO or Leave Without Pay.

The following guidelines apply to Non-Exempt; Exempt-Overtime Eligible; and Exempt employees from the 2nd shift on Thursday 9/18/03 through the 1st shift on Friday 9/19/03:

NON-EXEMPT & EXEMPT-OVERTIME ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES:

1. Employees who were not designated to work should use PTO or Leave Without Pay.
2. If the employee was at work for less than 24 hours: All hours that the employee was required to be on premises at the Medical Center, regardless of whether any work was performed, will be considered hours worked. Compensation will be at the appropriate regular or over-time rate of pay including shift differentials.
3. If the employee was at work for 24 hours or longer:
a. If the employee was provided 5 consecutive hours of uninterrupted sleep time, the sleep and meal hours will be excluded from compensation.
b. If the employee was not provided 5 consecutive hours of uninterrupted sleep time, then the employee will be compensated for all hours he/she was required to be on premises.

EXEMPT EMPLOYEES (NOT OVER-TIME ELIGIBLE):

1. Exempt employees who were designated to work and remain at the Medical Center will be paid regular pay.
2. Exempt employees who were not designated to work should take PTO, or leave without pay.

If an employee has questions about his or her status, the manager should be consulted.