Holidays

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Murray State University
POLICY NUMBER: IV D
SUBJECT: HOLIDAYS
APPLIES TO: STAFF AND TWELVE-MONTH FACULTY
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2017
REVISED FROM: February 17, 1990

HOLIDAYS

The University recognizes the following holidays for all regular employees except faculty on academic year contracts:

• Independence Day 

• Labor Day 

• Presidential Election Day (every 4th year) 

• Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving Day 

• Thanksgiving Day 

• Friday following Thanksgiving Day 

• Christmas Eve 

• Christmas Day 

• Three days to be assigned around the Christmas Holidays 

• New Year's Eve 

• New Year's Day 

• Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday 

• Spring Break (last 3 days of the scheduled break) 

• Memorial Day 

1. Establishing the University Calendar

   1. Specific dates shall be established for University holidays each year based on legal holidays and the University calendar.

   2. When a recognized holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday shall usually be observed as a holiday.

   3. When a recognized holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be observed as a holiday.

   4. The holiday calendar will be distributed to all departments each year by Human Resources.

2. Holiday Compensation for Regular Employees

   1. All regular employees will receive all the holidays off with regular rate of pay as long as it does not conflict with departmental schedules and meets the following conditions:

      1. The employee must work the scheduled work day before and the next work day after any designated holiday; or

      2. In the event the employee was absent the day before and/or the day after the designated holiday, any such absence was excused with pay due to vacation, sick leave, or other excused absences with pay; or

      3. If a holiday occurs on a full-time staff employee's regularly scheduled day off, either another day off at the regular rate of pay or regular rate of pay for the holiday will be granted.  

   2. Compensation for any regular employee required to work on a holiday is described below.

      1. Any non-exempt employee required to work on a holiday by the administrative head of the employee’s department will receive his/her regular pay for hours worked, but no less than regular holiday pay, and may choose one of the following options of additional payment:

         1. Pay at the employee's regular rate of pay for hours worked during the holiday period or 

         2. Receive holiday compensatory time at the regular rate of pay for each hour worked. The scheduled time off must be at a time approved by the supervisor.

         3. Any hours actually worked in a workweek that exceed 40 will be paid at the overtime rate of 1 ½ times the regular rate during the workweek.

      2. Any exempt employee required by the head of his/her administrative unit to work on a holiday may receive time off equal to the time worked. The scheduled time off must be at a time approved by the supervisor.

      3. Holiday compensatory time off must be taken within 90 calendar days of becoming eligible for such time off. 

3.  No Holiday Compensation

    Employees whose employment falls into the following categories will not be paid holiday compensation:

   1. Temporary employees who work on a holiday are paid based on the hours worked only and will not receive holiday pay.

   2. Regular employees who are not scheduled or contracted to work when the holiday occurs (i.e. 9 or 10 month employee).  

   3. Employees on time off without pay when the holiday occurs due to departmental schedules or budgets

      EXAMPLE: An employee not working during the summer will not receive pay for holidays during this time.