Article XIII -- Fringe Benefits
1. MEDICAL HEALTH INSURANCE
All teachers will have the option of enrolling in the
mutually agreed upon Blue Cross Personal Choice Plan, the Keystone Point
of Service Plan, or in the Keystone HMO Plan as modified below.
The System shall offer the Personal Choice 20/30/70 plan without co-pays for
inpatient hospital deductible and outpatient surgery deductible.
The prescription drug co-pay for the Personal Choice Plan, the Keystone Point of
Service Plan and the Keystone HMO Plan shall be $10 generic, $20/$35 brand.
Effective November 1, 2006, the Keystone POS Plan will no longer be offered.
The Keystone HMO Plan shall be modified to increase employee co-pays by $5 for
every level of service (doctors, specialists, etc.) and to increase the emergency room co-pay.
The System reserves the right to directly contract with a pharmacy benefit
manager to provide prescription plan benefits with the plan design agreed upon by
the System and the Association.
Health Care Legislation: If national or state health
care legislation requires any change in health insurance and related provisions
set forth in the Agreement, the Agreement shall be amended to conform with
governing federal and state law.
1a. Where the participating member of the Medical Health
Plan has spouse who is employed and covered under another group insurance
program, and where said spouse is also "head of household" then individual
coverage only will be supplied to the participating member.
1b. All teachers enrolled in the mutually agreed upon Blue Cross Personal Choice
Plan, the Keystone Point of Service Plan (not offered after November 1, 2006) or
the Keystone HMO Plan shall contribute toward the monthly premium cost.
Effective November 1, 2006, the teachers' medical contributions will be ten and
one-half percent (10 1/2%) for the Personal Choice Plan and nine and one-half percent (9 ½%)
for the Keystone Health Maintenance Organization Plan.
Effective November 1, 2007, the teachers' medical contributions will be eleven and
one-half percent (11 ½%) for the Personal Choice Plan and ten percent (10%) for the
Keystone Health Maintenance Organization Plan. The Health & Welfare Fund shall subsidize
one half of one percent (0.05%) of the contribution for the Personal Choice Plan for plan
coverage for two (2) or more persons making the effective contribution rate for these
individuals eleven percent (11%).
If the cost of the plan selected is higher than the Personal Choice Plan, the teachers
shall also pay any difference in cost between the premium for that plan and the Personal
Choice Plan.
Pre-Tax Basis: Payments by teachers toward premium costs may be made on a pre-tax
basis as long as the law permits.
Deductions for medical insurance cover the plan year beginning on November 1 and
ending the following October 31. New permanent teachers will not be charged medical
contributions for the months of September and October.
In addition, teachers who retire or leave the System will not be entitled to a refund
of contributions which they have paid for the months of September and October.
Medical contributions will be deducted from November through June for those on a
ten-month payroll and November through August for those on a twelve-month payroll.
1c. Effective September 1, 2003, a teacher who has twenty-five (25) or more years
of service and who is between the ages of fifty-five (55) and sixty-five (65) and is
eligible for and elects to begin receiving an early retirement pension under the
terms of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Lay Employees' Retirement Plan, shall
have the option at the time of his/her retirement of having the full cost of the
medical insurance premium paid to a maximum of $10,000 per year, net of the
medical contribution listed below, up to the end of the month the teacher reaches
age sixty-five (65) or of receiving $5,000 per year as a supplement to his/her early retirement pension.
Effective September 1, 2003, in addition to the foregoing, teachers who have
twenty-five (25) or more years of service and who retire between the ages of fifty-five (55)
and fifty-eight (58) and who elect to continue coverage in the medical plan shall
be responsible for paying the monthly medical contribution set forth in
Article XIII, Section 1b. The contributions will change annually based on the
cost of the plan selected and the provisions of Article XIII, Section 1b.
The contributions for medical coverage will end the month the teacher reaches
age fifty-eight (58).
THe payment of the $5,000 supplement per year shall begin in the January
following the teacher's retirement and shall be pro-rated in the first year of the
teacher's retirement and in the last year to the month the teacher reaches normal
retirement as defined by the Lay Employees' Retirement Plan.
The teacher shall have the option of changing his/her
election of coverage one (1) time during the period in which the teacher retires
and subsequently attains the normal retirement age.
1d. Retired teachers who are not yet eligible for
Medicare and are not covered by Article XIII, Section 1c shall have the option
of continuing on the Medical Health Plan. The cost of the plan shall
be borne by the teacher.
Retired teachers who are eligible for Medicare shall have
the option of participating in one of up to three (3) medical plans which
are to be mutually agreed upon by the System and the Association.
The cost of the plan shall be borne by the teacher.
The System and the Association have
mutually agreed to offer the following medical plans to retirees who are
eligible for Medicare:
- Blue Cross 65 Special with Major Medical
- Personal Choice 65
- Keystone 65
The plan choices will remain in effect unless the plans
are no longer available from the carriers or either party proposed a change
to the choices offered by September 1st of each year and such proposed
change is mutuallly agreed upon.
A retired teacher who is eligible for Medicare and whose
spouse is not eligible for Medicare, shall have the option of covering
his/her spouse in the Medical Health Plan until said spouse is eligible
for Medicare. The cost of the Plan shall be borne by the teacher.
1e. If a teacher, teacher's spouse or dependent would lose
medical coverage for any of the following reasons, continuation
coverage will be offered at the teacher's expense for the following periods
of time:
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Voluntary Termination of Employee
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18 months
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Involuntary Termination of Employee (except for gross misconduct)
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18 months
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Disability of Employee as Determined under the Social Security Act
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18 months
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Dependent Child no longer qualifies as dependent under group health plan
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18 months
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1f. In the event of the death of an employee, the System
will, at its expense, continue the medical insurance coverage for the surviving
spouse and dependent children for a period of three (3) years from the
date of the employee's death provided that the spouse is not eligible for
other coverage.
2. The teachers, members of the bargaining unit, shall,
without cost to themselves, continue to be entitled to the benefits of
the Archdiocesan Lay Employees Retirement Plan as set forth in the official
pension plan. Said Pension Plan is not otherwise a subject matter
of this Agreement. However, in the event that said Pension Plan is
discontinued for any reason during the term of this agreement, the Association
may immediately request collective bargaining on the subject of a pension.
A representative of the Association selected from a list of two (2) nominees
submitted by the Association will
be appointed to the Archdiocesan Lay Employees Retirement Board of Trustees.
2a. Each year of the Contract, the Secretary for
Catholic Education shall meet with representatives of the Association prior
to the fall meeting of Board of Trustees of the Archdiocesan Lay Employees'
Retirement Plan to receive Association recommendations
for transmittal to the Board. In turn, the System
Board Member shall promptly transmit the Board's response to these concerns
to the Association.
2b. Any teacher who is eligible for and elects to begin receiving an
early retirement pension under the terms of the
Archdiocese of Philadelphia Lay Employees' Retirement Plan, will, upon
request, be offered a position as service period assistant at the last
school at which he/she was employed as a teacher for not more than nineteen (19) hours
per week at the rate of ten dollars ($10.00) per hour. Any individual employed
under this Section shall not be covered by any other terms or provisions
of this Agreement, nor shall he/she be entitled to any other benefits provided
for in this Agreement with the exception of a lunch at no cost on the days
he/she works.
The retired teacher may accept a service period assignment
position at another school provided that a retiree in that school declines
the position.
3. A Group Life Insurance Program shall be continued by
the System. This plan shall provide group life insurance for each
lay teacher in the amount of $50,000. The cost of this plan shall
be borne by the System.
Teachers shall have the option to purchase up to an additional
$100,000.00 of life insurance in increments of $10,000.00 subject to all
terms and conditions imposed by the carriers. The cost of the additional
insurance shall be borne by the teacher.
4. The System shall provide lunch at no cost
for the lay teachers on all regularly scheduled school days.
5. All staff members shall have equitable parking privileges.
5a. The System agrees to pay the deductible on a teacer's
policy if vandalism occurs at a school function as long as the vandalism
on school property can be substantiated.
6. The System will provide excess automobile
liability coverage applicable to teachers transporting faculty members
and/or students on or as part of school activities. The Master Contract
of such coverage shall be sent to the Association.
7. In order to offer the opportunity for the improvement
of professional competence, the System shall set aside
a fund of $50,000 each year to assist some of the lay teachers in their
pursuit of an approved educational goal.
Fifty percent (50%) of the tuition costs incurred by the
teacher will be reimbursed by the Archdiocese. The maximum study grant
shall be $1,500 each year. After one (1) year of satisfactory teaching
with the System, a teacher will be eligible to receive
this grant. Teachers who have received a study grant for two (2)
consecutive years are not eligible to receive it for the following year.
Regulations affecting this Section shall be subject to mutual agreement
between the Association and the System.
Applications for a study grant shall be posted in all
schools no later than September 15. Applications for a Study Grant
shall be submitted no later than October 15. The teachers selected
and the Association shall be so notified by November 1.
8. The System will provide a disability income plan with
voluntary teacher participation providing long-term disability income benefits
for sickness and accidental injury. One-half (1/2) of the cost of
this program will be borne by the System and one-half (1/2) by the teacher.
Any change in the plan or carrier shall be by mutual agreement of the System
and the Association.
Teachers must utilize all accumulated sick leave prior
to disability leave. Teachers may, at their option, retain a bank
of thirty (30) sick days, provided that the thirty (30) day elimination period
has been met.
9. The System will continue the existing dental plan. The total cost of this
program will be borne by the System.
Any change in the plan or carrier will be by mutual agreement of the Association
and the System and both parties have the right to be
present at and will be notified in advance of any meetings with the carrier(s).
10. The System shall continue the voluntary Tax Deferred
Annuity Program. The Association has the right to be present at and
will be notified in advance of any meetings between the System and the
carrier(s). Any changes in the carrier(s) shall be by mutual agreement
of the System and the Association. There shall be a total of five (5) companies
designated as Tax Deferred Annuity Companies.
10a. All monies shall be remitted to the companies within
three (3) working days of each pay date. The System agrees to
xplore remitting the funds electronically to the companies.
11. Any lay teacher who has dependent children attending
the Secondary Schools of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia shall not be expected
or required to pay Diocesan Registration Fees, Tuition, and School Fees
for such children. Children of a teacher who dies while he/she is
an employee of the Secondary School System shall not be expected or required
to pay Diocesan Registration Fees, Tuition, and School Fees.
11a. Dependent children of a teacher who retires
from the System shall not be expected or required to pay
Diocesan Registration Fees, Tuition, and School Fees.
12. Teachers on approved leaves (Article VI, Section 16) or teachers
and their dependents described in Article XIII, Section 1e, who wish to remain
in the group medical, dental, or life insurance plans shall remit the premiums
for such plans thirty (30) days in advance of the due dates.
Retired teachers (Article XIII, Section 1d) and laid-off
teachers (Article VII, Section 1f), who wish to remain in the group medical or
dental plans shall remit the premiums for such plans thirty (30) days in
advance of the due dates.
13. The System shall provide the Association utilization reports on the
Medical Health Plan and the Disability Plan annually as soon as they become available.
An annual meeting with representatives of each of these
plans shall be held, if requested.
14. It is understood that if Unemployment Compensation
is discontinued by the System for any reason, the System shall continue
to follow the guidelines and shall replace the compensation program
with comparable coverage.
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