1/22 Weekly Email + Doctor’s Notes
Hi all,
I have a few updates this week and then a brief discussion about Doctor’s Notes.
Annual Meeting: UAEA hosted our first-ever annual meeting last week. Thank you to everyone who came out to attend our morning and afternoon sessions. I’ve attached a copy of the presentation for those who couldn’t attend, as well as the meeting minutes summary, where each topic is explained in a little more detail. If there is additional information you would like to see in future reports or meetings, please let us know - we want these to be useful summaries of our union work that keep all members in the loop.
Newsletter: I’ve attached the first quarter 2026 UAEA Newsletter, which will be posted to City Bulletin Boards in the next week or so. This edition contains some information about the EAP program, updates on some prior events, details about an upcoming contest and some community events, and the latest winners of our Employee of the Quarter program. Who won? Open this up and see for yourself.
As a reminder, our Employee of the Quarter program is open year-round. Nominations for the 2nd Quarter of 2026 will be accepted between now and March 1st, 2026. The UAEA Board would love to recognize our members in all areas of the City but haven’t seen a lot of nominees from certain areas over the past year - please consider applying for yourself or another member if you work in Water, Parks, Fleet, Streets, Inspection, Tax & License, or any other area that has yet to receive sufficient recognition for their amazing contributions to our City.
Upcoming Meeting Calendar: I’ve attached the most up-to-date member meeting calendar, which currently includes meeting dates through May. Please note that the May meeting was moved forward one day to a Wednesday, not a Thursday, to accommodate some members who requested a change from our normal Thursday scheduling.
Doctor’s Notes: I’ve received some questions from members in recent months about when the City can require you to get a Doctor’s Note. There are really only three times the City can require one, and those are related to reasonable accommodations, FMLA, and Unpaid Sick Leave (if you need a refresher on FMLA or reasonable accommodations, check these links). Each is outlined in the Personnel Rules - I’ve noted the relevant sections.
Regarding reasonable accommodations or FMLA, the City may ask for a Doctor’s Note to confirm that either is needed (PR 501.B). They may also ask for a letter confirming that someone still needs certain accommodations after the initial timeframe of the request has elapsed or to confirm that someone has recovered enough to resume their normal job duties. To be clear, reasonable accommodations include Light Duty Assignments (PR 309.A). Regarding Unpaid Sick Leave, if someone has run out of normal sick time but needs to take sick leave, the City can require that they provide a doctor’s note to return to work after they have been out for at least one work day (PR 503.B). If someone has run out of sick leave and would like to use accrued vacation leave to cover their absences, the City can also require a doctor’s note before offering this as an option (PR 501.B.1).
I should also note that it is actually fairly easy to obtain a doctor’s note these days. I can’t speak to the relative benefits of any one company, but there are dozens of online telehealth companies that allow employees to obtain doctor’s notes for $25-$50, sometimes less if you have insurance coverage. This is a quick way to obtain a note without needing to wait to get an appointment at a physical location, such as your primary care doctor. They usually require a quick virtual appointment where they discuss your symptoms, then they’ll write a note with some details and recommendations. While the note details may vary, in general you’ll want one that has your legal name, the date of the visit, any work restrictions they recommend due to your leave (as well as a timeframe for how long those restrictions will last) and a physician’s signature. I should caveat that this process will almost always be useful only for people on Unpaid Sick Leave - you will almost certainly need a note from a primary care doctor or a doctor you have an ongoing relationship with to verify FMLA or accommodation needs. That’s not to say you can’t use the above process to get FMLA or accommodation clearances, but it will almost certainly be more difficult.
February Member’s Meeting: Our next members meeting will be on February 19th from 12-1pm at the Tempe Fire Training Center (1420 E Apache Boulevard). This meeting will have representatives from Nationwide present to do a presentation on retirement planning - if you attend this session and ask questions it will count towards your healthymetempe “Financial Wellness” incentive, which is worth 5 points (1/20th of your needed 100 points). You can rsvp here until February 12th.
Tempe IT Trainings: Tempe IT is offering Microsoft and Adobe training throughout the Spring, with courses designed both for entry-level employees and those who already use those tools on a daily basis. I think nearly every employee can benefit from these courses - if you handle documents or information on a consistent basis, there are almost certainly ways to simplify some of your existing work processes and transfer information from different programs more easily. Check out the class schedule here.