My question involves labor and employment law for the state of: Alabama
I am a full-time employee who receives one week of paid vacation a year.
We are required to find our own substitutes to take time off (unless calling in sick and then we use sick leave).
In our Employee Handbook it states:
"A list of approved substitutes is posted in the office."
"All substitutes must be approved by the director".
Also it states that "A list of approved substitutes will be given by the director".
We have to fill out a leave request sheet and have the substitute sign when he/she will work for us. In order for time off to be approved, we must have our time covered.
The problem is, there is NOT a list of substitutes available! The director has NO substitutes to work for us. She will not hire them because she doesn't want to pay to train them, etc. (She has told me this.) She also will not allow us to find anyone else to work for us from any where else.
There is one part-time college student who can work for us occasionally and I have been told "Oh she can't work for you, she isn't assertive enough" or something like that.
Basically, this is a company with over 50 employees and right now we have ONE college student available to substitute for TWO MORNINGS a week!
So, it is next to impossible to ever get a day off.
Even the part-time staff that don't get paid time off can't get any time off (because they can't find a sub) without just lying and calling in sick.
On top of that, if we don't get to use our vacation, we lose it. Even if it is the director's fault (by not providing substitutes for us) that we can't get any time off, we just lose that time.
Oh, I forgot to mention that we have to have a sub in order to go to the doctor or any other appointment like the dentist, etc.
So, making medical appointments are difficult/next to impossible, whether it be for you or your child(ren).
Is there anything we as employees can do about this?
Thank you for any help you might offer.

