ARTICLE 27. Protective Clothing & Equipment
A. Protective Clothing & Equipment. Protective clothing and safety equipment protects the employee from exposure to hazardous working conditions. In cases where a Department requires that employees covered by this Agreement to wear protective clothing and use safety equipment, the department will provide and maintain protective clothing and equipment. If the Department requires employees covered by this Agreement to wear protective shoes while working, the Department shall either:
Reimburse an employee for the cost up to a maximum of $300 per year toward the actual purchase of protective shoes which are approved by the Department; or
Directly reimburse a designated vendor for protective shoes for an employee in an amount not to exceed $300. If the employee selects a protective shoe that exceeds $300, they will be responsible for paying the vendor the difference.
B. Uniforms. Uniforms are attire, excluding shoes, which are worn for the purpose of ready visual identification of department personnel. In cases where a Department requires employees to wear uniforms, the Department will provide and maintain those uniforms.
If a Department does not require uniforms to be worn, then each bargaining unit employee in the department shall receive $200 at the end of the first pay period in July of each year of this Agreement as a clothing allowance for purchase, replacement and laundering costs.
Clothing allowances paid to employees are subject to applicable state and federal taxation as required.