Secretary v. Employees' Review Board, No. Cv 01 0509580s (Apr. 16, 2002)

**What Happened:** Catherine Osten worked for the Connecticut Department of Correction and had a non-standard work schedule that differed from the typical Monday-through-Friday routine. When calculating her personal leave and holiday time, the Department counted these benefits in hours rather than calendar days. Osten believed this method shortchanged her compared to employees with standard schedules, so she challenged the calculation through the state's employee review process. **What the Court Decided:** The Connecticut Supreme Court sided with Osten. The court upheld the Employees' Review Board's ruling that the Department of Correction must recalculate her personal leave and holiday time as full calendar days, not hours. This means Osten receives the same amount of leave time as other employees, regardless of her different work schedule. **Why This Matters for Workers:** This ruling protects employees with non-standard work schedules from being penalized when it comes to leave benefits. Workers with compressed schedules, shift work, or other alternative arrangements should receive equivalent leave time as their colleagues with traditional schedules. If your employer calculates your vacation or personal time differently because of your schedule, this case shows such practices may be legally challengeable.