Day 143 - 27 Jun 95 - Page 27
1
2 Q. Just while we are on this page, it has: "Leaves of
3 Absence: If you find you must temporarily leave active
4 employment at McDonald's because of school obligations,
5 travel or other reasons, you may request a leave of absence
6 which your management team will consider." How long does
7 the Company grant leaves of absence for?
8 A. Leaves, generally, up to two years.
9
10 Q. Up to two years?
11 A. Yes.
12
13 Q. Does this just apply to a very limited number of people or
14 is it widely available?
15 A. Well, it is printed here, you can see, it is widely
16 available, but there are two types of ways that people
17 would leave. One is a very informal thing, where they just
18 say: "Hey, when I finish with my school year, I will be
19 back. Will you hold the position open for me?" That is a
20 very informal kind of thing.
21
22 Then there are those situations where they want something
23 in writing from the Manager, and this refers to where they
24 get something in writing from the Manager saying that,
25 "I am on leave and I am expected to come back at a certain
26 point in time", and they generally get into specifically
27 what the wage rate will be upon the return which is,
28 generally, the one they left at. So, some people like the
29 informal process. This really talks about the availability
30 of a more formal process.
31
32 Q. How many people actually does that apply to then, what
33 percentage?
34 A. It would apply -- boy! I cannot give you a percentage.
35
36 Q. OK, how many approximately?
37 A. I cannot do that. That is a day-to-day activity in our
38 stores.
39
40 Q. So it is a frequent occurrence?
41 A. Oh, absolutely, absolutely.
42
43 Q. So they would not be considered as being terminated?
44 A. They would be on leave of absence. They would have a
45 document that indicates what the circumstances are upon
46 their returning. But if you are asking me whether or not
47 their name would be removed from the payroll, the answer is
48 "yes".
49
50 Q. Would you fill out a form concerning the reasons for
51 leaving?
52 A. I do not think, no, I do not think there would be a
53 form with the reasons for leaving. It would just say that,
54 "Suzie or John will be returning on such and such a date
55 at such and such a pay record", and the Manager knows when
56 the person -- whether there is agreement to specifically
57 return at a specific point in time and an absolute
58 guarantee that the person's job will be there upon their
59 return.
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