For employees exclusively working from home

You should use your already existing, union-negotiated sick time:

- Full-time employees recieve 120 hours frontloaded
- Part-time and on-call employees receive 60 hours frontloaded and accrue the rest based on an average of straight time hours paid in the preceding two (2) pay periods.

Employees are credited with their entire annual allotment of sick leave days at the beginning of the pay period in which each employee’s anniversary date of hire falls. For purposes of annual sick leave days, in cases where an employee’s anniversary date of hire has been adjusted, the “leave accrual service date” will be used.

If you've already exhausted your sick leave benefits, you may be eligible to take a medical leave of absence. You can find out more about this in our local's collective bargaining agreement in article XIII on page 65.

For employees working in facilities

These benefits are available to employees, including per diems, working during this period at a KP facility, or providing care on behalf of KP in a non-KP facility. They do not apply to employees exclusively working from home.

Starting Monday, April 13, KP says a call center to help KP employees navigate these benefits will be available seven days a week. The package extends through May 31, and we will push for an extension past that date if necessary based on the spread of COVID.

Benefits include: 

Up to 80 hours additional paid leave: An additional 80 hours of paid leave will be provided to eligible employees who test positive for COVID-19. If the employee is sent home and is waiting for a test or for test results, the employee will be eligible for COVID leave for any day they are waiting to be tested and while they wait to receive the results. Even if the COVID test turns out negative, the time before the test result is received will be covered by COVID leave. The employee won’t be penalized for a lack of testing, or delay in testing results. The hours are prorated based on actual hours worked. KP says they are continuing to improve testing capacity, and will be further revising guidelines to expand workers’ access to testing. 



Childcare grants: Workers will be eligible for grants of up to $300 per week to secure childcare for school-age children (14 years or younger) or dependent disabled adult children while at work. The grant will be prorated if work is less than 32 hours; the minimum grant is $210 per week. Eligible caregivers exclude spouse or domestic partner residing in the household. Other relatives are eligible caregivers.



Short-term hotel housing near facility: Based on availability for workers who have worked three, 12-hour shifts, or based on manager’s approval for long commutes, exhaustion, and similar circumstances. Request through your manager. 

 Alliance affiliate UNITE HERE Local 5 has pointed out the critical need to ensure proper infection control for the protection of hotel workers, and guests, including health care workers. As more and more employers and states set up these kinds of programs, we are joining UNITE HERE in demanding proper infection control cleaning protocols.



For complete details, see the full outline of the benefit enhancements here.