ARTICLE XXIV - VACATION


1. The following vacation will be granted to all regular full-time employees:

A. Regular full-time employees will accrue an annual vacation of ten (10) days after one full calendar year of service, to be taken in the following calendar year.

B. New regular full-time employees hired on or before June 30 will accrue ten (10) days of vacation as of the end of the year, to be used in the following calendar year or, after six months of service, up to five (5) days may be used in the same calendar year in which they were hired. New regular full-time employees hired after June 30 will accrue one week of vacation as of the end of the year to be used in the following calendar year.

C. The present practice of assigning ten-day vacations will continue during the term of this contract, but no employee will be required to accept a vacation at any time other than between May 18th and September 30th.

D. Employees with five (5) years or more service will receive three (3) weeks vacation annually, but the third week must be taken outside the regular vacation period if the Publisher so desires. An employee with ten year's service or more will receive four weeks vacation annually, but the fourth week must be taken outside the regular summer vacation period if the Publisher so desires. Employees with twenty-five (25) years or more service will receive five (5) weeks vacation but the fifth week must be taken outside the regular summer vacation period if the Publisher so desires.

E. Upon termination of employment, an employee (or his estate in case of death) will be entitled to and receive all accumulated vacation pay credits at the time of this termination of employment. Accumulated vacation pay credits are deemed to mean vacation with pay earned in the year of employment termination. Vacation credits must be used within the year immediately following the year in which the credits were earned. Under extenuating circumstances and by mutual agreement, a grace period of one month is allowed beyond the vacation year for using earned vacation time. Earned vacation time not taken by the end of the grace period is terminated.

2. Part-time employees will receive prorated vacations based on the number of hours per week they are scheduled to work.