D6 BENEFIT COMMITTEE MEETING NOTES

The below information is considered “NEED TO KNOW” for CORE employees and former employees. Please take the time to read it as it may affect you now or in the future.

2016 Annual Enrollment Statistics Review
Of the total Active participants eligible for coverage, 57.48% enrolled in the Southwest HCN (CustomCare) Plan and 30.97%
enrolled in the Fully Insured option. A large majority of the participants actively enrolled via either the website, their Mobile device, or a call to the Service Center. A significant number also defaulted, meaning they didn’t actively enroll, so they kept their coverage from the previous year. The Web Chat option was again available and there was an increase in usage over the last couple of years since it was introduced.
Aon Hewitt
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Direct Billing Process – If you are on a Leave of Absence (LOA) or on Short-Term Disability (STD) and you have a balance of $50 or more pending for your deductions for more than 60 days, then you are switched from Payroll Deduction to Direct Billing. For example, your STD was denied, so you would be getting a zero paycheck, and there wouldn’t be any money to pay for your normal deductions that come out of your check, like medical/dental/vision premiums, Supp Life Insurance, CarePlus, etc. After 60 days of trying to get these deductions, Hewitt would then send you a bill, generally on the 9th of the month, due of the 1st
of the following month. Sometimes there is a delay in getting the Direct Billing started, so your first bill may be for a
substantial amount. If this happens to you, please make sure that you call Hewitt as soon as possible to discuss payment options. You can take care of this bill by several different methods — mail in a check, set up Direct Debit from your checking or savings account or make a one – time payment via the website. If you don’t pay these bills, you will be dropped for non – payment. Once you either get the STD approved or return to work, your bill will need to be current before you can call to
request to be placed back on Payroll Deduction. Benefits are
reinstated the first of the following month, and vendors are notified within 7 – 10 Business Days.
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Personal Communication Statements – Paula Bolsius provided the committee with copies of the different communications that are sent to employees, for various reasons. These are good to have so if somebody calls to ask about a letter they received, we will have some idea of what it is about and should be able to offer some direction. This is more of an informational item
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New – Hire Enrollment/Timing and Communications – the main thing
that we wanted to remind people of is that a New Hire will get two different letters regarding their benefits — 1st there is a letter offering Unsubsidized Coverage, meaning if you want to enroll in benefits prior to the waiting period, you would pay the full cost of coverage. Next, about 30 – 40 days before the 6 – month waiting period is to expire, you will get a letter/packet giving you the opportunity to enroll in
= Subsidized Coverage. This means the Company pays a portion of the cost. It is important to enroll within 31 days of the date of the letter in order to avoid any delays in coverage. If you have questions or think you should have had a letter and haven’t received it, call Hewitt. They are our Eligibility Vendor and can give you the correct information.
Upcoming Employee Audits – AT&T Operations runs a variety of audits all the time, but one to keep on our radar, will be the Dependent Reverification Audit, which will run from 2016 through 2018. Starting in June, AT&T will be sending letters to the first “wave” of people, which will be Pre-65 management and former employees. In District 6, there are 6800 people impacted and it is important to respond with the requested information by the designated due date or your coverage could be dropped. If that happens, you would get a COBRA letter, which is required by law and a letter explaining your ERISA rights.
Fidelity Investments
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Savings Plan Company Match–as a reminder, a newly hired
employee can participant in the Savings Plan right away, BUT,
they are not eligible for the Company Match, until they have
been with the Company one year.
Sedgwick
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Survey Process Update – we advised last year that Sedgwick is
now sending surveys out to all STD participants, rather than
randomly as they had in the past. About 20% of the people who
got a survey responded. Some of the top concerns were
timeliness of callbacks and accuracy of information given. Last
year, AT&T made some changes to the Sedgwick contract, which
were implemented the first of the year and they are watching
these key areas for results. Sedgwick will continue with training
for their reps over the coming months.
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Disability case review once an employee has obtained legal
counsel–On a Workman’s Comp claim, once the case manager
receives written notification that you are represented by an
attorney, they are not allowed to discuss the case with anybody
other than the attorney. If you also have a STD claim, the case
manager should be able to discuss that with you. We brought up
that once the representation letter is received, the member
doesn’t always know that, and the case manager doesn’t even
return calls at that point. Benefits will discuss this with the
Vendor manager for a possible solution.
Summary Plan Descriptions and Communication
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Market Exchange Notice–this was a legally required notice to all
employees eligible for benefits. It was only informational—no action required
1095-C’s–These were sent out for the first time this year and about 550,000 notices were sent. There was a delay in getting these out, but they were sent before the tax deadline ended. It should go smoother going forward.
Worker’s Compensation
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Lisa Foster gave a short presentation regarding issues our members are experiencing with Sedgwick with WC issues. She gave several general issues and some examples, and we were advised that since WC isn’t a Benefits Issue, the case would be deferred to Labor Relations. Rob Zurovec advised that he would look into it and maybe we can have a conference call with Sedgwick at a later date. He will get with Sylvia Ramos to coordinate that.
Some of the things Lisa brought up were:

Once an injury is reported, Sedgwick is to contact the employee and supervisor within 2 days and that isn’t happening. Sometimes it is up to a week later before we get a call
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The member can’t start getting treatment until the a
bove initial contact is made
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Sometimes we are waiting several weeks to even be seen by a doctor and there are delays in hearing back regarding an authorization for treatment. Other times we are told a treatment has been authorized, butthen it doesn’t happen
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Sedgwick is advising the member to go to Concentra or Urgent Care, but without an approval in place, these providers are billing the member directly
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When communication between the doctor and Sedgwick isn’t being
handled timely, the member isn’t getting
the treatment they need. We are often waiting for tests and referrals to be scheduled.
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We can’t use our medical Benefits because Sedgwick determines WC
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When there is both a STD and WC claim, the medical isn’t always shared
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One name that is coming up a lot is Kim White, and she claims that she doesn’t have a backup when she is out on vacation or ill, which causes delays in our cases (she is assigned to Missouri mostly)
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These issues are costing both the member and the Company money and delaying benefits an
d treatment

SUPPLEMENTAL LIFE – CONTRIBUTION HOLIDAY

Contribution Holiday
–
Supplemental Life is a 100% employee paid option, and
when it becomes fully funded, about 2-1/2 years ago, the premiums were suspended for CORE non-management employees.

NOTE:
This ENDS on July 1, 2016, so in August, we will begin to see
these premiums deducted again. You will also have an opportunity to
make any changes in the fall during Annual Enrollment.

OTHER IMPORTANT BENEFIT TOPICS WILL APPEAR ON THE NEXT POST

MAY EXECUTIVE BOARD & MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS

The E-Board and Membership meetings will be held on Tuesday, June 7, 2016.

Executive Board meeting 5:30pm

General Membership meeting 6:30pm

Please mark your calendar & make a commitment to attend the monthly union meetings. As members we all have the privilege to attend and speak at these meetings. It is not just for officers and stewards….we all( officers, stewards, all members) make up the “union”. Please come to hear bargaining updates regarding other Districts and bring any questions, comments or concerns that you may have. We will have a few topics to cover and provide updates.

APRIL EXECUTIVE BOARD & MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS

The E-Board and Membership meetings will be held on Tuesday, May 3, 2016.

Executive Board meeting 5:30pm

General Membership meeting 6:30pm

Please mark your calendar & make a commitment to attend the monthly union meetings. As members we all have the privilege to attend and speak at these meetings. It is not just for officers and stewards….we all( officers, stewards, all members) make up the “union”. Please come to hear updates and bring any questions, comments or concerns that you may have. We will have a few topics to cover and provide updates.

CWA/AT&T MOBILITY NATIONAL BARGAINED BENEFITS BARGAINING REPORT

CWA/ AT&T Mobility National Bargained Benefit Bargaining
Report #6 April 7, 2016

The CWA bargaining committee has been meeting with AT&T this week in Austin, Texas. After three long days, we are making progress. The Committee passed proposals that make the healthcare more affordable and give our members healthcare options that meet their needs for the next four years. CWA is moving closer to unwinding this National Bargained Benefit Plan and when the four regional contracts expire, we will be able to bargain our compensation, pensions and savings plans, work rules, and benefits together. The Committees are traveling back tonight and will continue to meet via telephone conferences next week. Keep telling your manager that you need healthcare you can afford!

In Solidarity,
The CWA 2016 Mobility NBBP Bargaining Committee
Kelvin Banks, D3; Luis Benitez, D3 Puerto Rico; Holly Sorey, D4; John Richie, D6
Pat Telesco, D1

MARCH EXECUTIVE BOARD & MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS

The E-Board and Membership meetings will be held on Tuesday, April 5, 2016.

Executive Board meeting 5:30pm

General Membership meeting 6:30pm

Please mark your calendar & make a commitment to attend the monthly union meetings. As members we all have the privilege to attend and speak at these meetings. It is not just for officers and stewards….we all( officers, stewards, all members) make up the “union”. Please come to hear updates and bring any questions, comments or concerns that you may have. We will have a few topics to cover and provide updates.

AT&T MOBILITY BARGAINING TOWN HALL CALL

The District will be hosting a Town Hall Call on Monday, March 7, 2016 for all CWA members at AT&T Mobility to review the Tentative Agreement on the new 2016 Labor Agreement as follows:

Date: Monday, March 7,2016

Time: 7:00pm Central Time

DIAL-IN: 877 229-8431

CODE: No Code Needed

Your participation is encouraged on the call.

AT&T MOBILITY BARGAINING – FINAL BARGAINING REPORT

The CWA Bargaining Committee has reached a tentative agreement with AT&T Mobility. The following summarizes the improvements your bargaining team were able to negotiate.

Wages

Wage Increases
2016 – 2.0%
2017 – 2.25%
2018 – 2.25%
2019 – 3.0%
Lump Sum
$1,000 – Employees must be on payroll in a District 6 bargained title on the ratification date and payout date to receive payment.

Benefits

Short Term Disability
Current Employees – retain the current 52 week plan with no change.
Future Employees hired after 01/01/2017 will have a 26 week Disability Income Plan.
Pensions
Banded Plan – no changes for all employees hired or rehired before 12-31-2008.
BCB2 – will continue for all employees hired after 1-1-2009 and through the life of this agreement. This will now include a yearly lump sum payment option.

Upgrades

Clerical Associates
Sales Advocate

Subcontracting

The Union negotiated a Letter of Agreement.

Article 12 – Hours of Work

The Union negotiated improvements including a 5 day work week, posting of the work schedule a week prior to implementation, and proper notification to employees on schedule changes.

Article 14 – Force Adjustment

The Union negotiated improvements to severance payments with an increase to the cap payout of $17,000.

Article 16 – Safety

The Union negotiated an improvement in contract language when Local or State Government declares a State of Emergency for inclement weather.

Article 17 – Company-Union Relationship

The Union negotiated improvements regarding the Working Relations Committee.

Article 19 – Basis of Compensation

The Union negotiated improvements to an employee’s starting wage, improvements for Network Technician’s on-call pay, and improvements to a multi-lingual differential for call center employees.

Article 21 – Absences

The Union was successful in maintaining Illness Days for current employees. Future employees will have Illness Days capped at 5 paid days when hired after 01/01/2017.
The Union negotiated time off for unpaid funeral leave to include step parents and siblings.

MOA Four Day Work Week

The Union negotiated for the scheduling of 2 consecutive days off in a four day work week.

Article 25 – Exchange Time

The Union negotiated improvements to the scheduling of exchange time.

Letter of Agreement – Quality Observations

The Union negotiated improvements that the Company will cover quality observations within 2 working days for Retail and Call Center employees.

Letter of Agreement – Sales Commission Committee

The Union negotiated the inclusion of the Compensation Committee in our Labor Agreement for Retail Sales.

Letter of Agreement – Sales Quota Relief

The Union negotiated improvements to Quota Relief.

Letter of Agreement – At Risk Pay

The Union negotiated an increase to “At-Risk” commission payouts.

All MOU’s, MOA’s and LOA’s will be printed in the 2016 Labor Agreement.