Campus Human Resources

DEANS, DIRECTORS, DEPARTMENT CHAIRS AND ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS

RE: 2017-18 Winter Holiday Closure

Dear Colleagues:

Following campuswide review, we are writing to confirm plans for this year’s Winter Holiday Closure. UCLA will close for 10 days between Saturday, December 23, 2017, and Monday, January 1, 2018, with plans to reopen on Tuesday, January 2, 2018. The closure period includes four University paid holidays (December 25, 26, 29, 2017, and January 1, 2018) and two days that are not paid holidays (December 27 and 28, 2017). 

The benefits of the annual Winter Holiday Closure are important in saving approximately $200,000 in energy costs, while reducing campus greenhouse gas emissions by more than one-million pounds of CO2. The decrease helps preserve natural resources and moves the University closer to its 2025 Carbon Neutrality goal.

Consistent with University policy on curtailment leave, staff employees and those academic employees who accrue vacation leave will need to use either vacation, compensatory time (if available), or leave without pay to compensate for the two work days that are not holidays.

For exclusively represented employees, labor contracts may include similar provisions, and requirements under the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act will be observed.

In accordance with University personnel policies and applicable labor agreements, employees will have the choice of the following options to cover the non-paid days during the closure period:

• Employees may utilize vacation days in advance of their actual accrual.
• Newly hired employees, represented and policy-covered, may utilize their vacation accruals during the closure before acquiring six continuous months on pay status.
• Employees with accrued compensatory time may elect to use it to cover the two days off or to offset the use of vacation time.
• Employees who do not wish to use vacation or compensatory time off may request leave without pay for the two working days based on departmental approval. In this case, employees will not lose hourly vacation or sick leave accruals for these two days.

The above options may be used in combination. Employees should notify their respective supervisors in advance as to which option or combination of options they propose to use.

During the planned break period, UCLA Health and certain essential-service facilities will continue to remain open. Deans, Vice Chancellors and Organization Heads to whom this responsibility has been delegated will need to determine if any facilities under their management will need to remain fully or partially open during the closure and, accordingly, arrange for appropriate staffing. Please send copies of these approval decisions to the offices of the Assistant Vice Chancellor, Facilities Management, and to Employee & Labor Relations.

For your convenience, we have developed Frequently Asked Questions regarding the upcoming 2017-18 Winter Holiday Closure.  If you still have queries after referring to the article, please contact Anthony Solana in Campus Human Resources at asolana@chr.ucla.edu or Maure Gardner in Health Sciences Human Resources at mgardner@mednet.ucla.edu.

Sincerely,