Tentative Agreement Update - CWA-BellSouth
Telecommunications Inc.
As a result of
intensive talks a new Tentative Agreement was
reached and recommended unanimously by the
bargaining team.
 | The
Company's contribution to the
HRA's will be used to reduce
premiums in 2011 to $15
individual and $30 family per
month. |
|
HRA's have been eliminated for
active employees. |
| The
|
| New
job security provisions have
been agreed upon. |
|
Up-front SIPP will be offered to
all in title in Organizational
Unit regardless of the type work
performed.. |
|
Surplus employees will be given
preferential rights to claim
term vacancies. |
|
Overpayment of benefits will
now be collected in the same
manner as overpaid wages. |
Additional details
will be posted on this website by subject at a
later time.
CWA - BST Contract - Wages
Wages
3%
Retroactive
to
3%
2.75%
|
While these increases add up to
8.75%, the effect on wages will
be compounded as the second and
third increases are applied to
the wage which had already been
increased in the prior year. |
| For
example, a weekly wage of $1000 |
a. Would rise to $1030 after the
first increase.
b. In the second year, that $1030
would grow by another 3% to $1060.9, rounded to
1061.
c. In the third year, that $1061
would increase by 2.75% to $1090.17, rounded to
$1090.
| The
net increase in wages, then, is
9% from $1000 to $1090 per week
over the term of the contract. |
|
Annual Wages at
top of
progression in
Zone A/Wage Area
I |
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Zone A / WA I |
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WS 10 |
$816.00 |
$840.50 |
$865.50 |
$889.50 |
|
WS 14 |
$854.50 |
$880.00 |
$906.50 |
$931.50 |
|
WS 20 |
$934.00 |
$962.00 |
$991.00 |
$1018.50 |
|
WS 23 |
$950.50 |
$979.00 |
$1008.50 |
$1036.00 |
|
WS 27 |
$978.00 |
$1007.50 |
$1037.50 |
$1066.00 |
|
WS 30 |
$1115.00 |
$1148.50 |
$1183.00 |
$1215.50 |
|
WS 32 |
$1163.50 |
$1198.50 |
$1234.50 |
$1268.50 |
|
Annual Wages at
top of
progression in
Zone B/Wage Area
II |
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Zone B / WA II |
|
|
|
|
|
WS 10 |
$796.00 |
$820.00 |
$844.50 |
$867.50 |
|
WS 14 |
$844.00 |
$869.50 |
$895.50 |
$920.00 |
|
WS 20 |
$908.00 |
$935.00 |
$963.00 |
$989.50 |
|
WS 23 |
$940.00 |
$968.00 |
$997.00 |
$1024.50 |
|
WS 27 |
$963.00 |
$992.00 |
$1022.00 |
$1050.00 |
|
WS 30 |
$1091.50 |
$1124.00 |
$1157.50 |
$1189.50 |
|
WS 32 |
$1136.00 |
$1170.00 |
$1205.00 |
$1238.00 |
|
Annual Wages at
top of
progression in
Zone C |
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|
Zone C |
|
|
|
|
|
WS 10 |
$793.00 |
$817.00 |
$841.50 |
$864.50 |
|
WS 14 |
$836.50 |
$861.50 |
$887.50 |
$912.00 |
|
WS 20 |
$904.50 |
$931.50 |
$959.50 |
$986.00 |
|
WS 23 |
$934.00 |
$962.00 |
$991.00 |
$1018.50 |
|
WS 27 |
$956.50 |
$985.00 |
$1014.50 |
$1042.50 |
|
WS 30 |
$1080.00 |
$1112.50 |
$1146.00 |
$1177.50 |
|
WS 32 |
$1126.50 |
$1160.50 |
$1195.50 |
$1228.50 |
|
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|
|
|
|
| The
progression steps will be
increased between the existing
start rate and the new top rate.
There will be no change in the
start rates. |
|
Employees in progression receive
significant annual increases due
to moving to a higher rate of
pay every six months. These
employees receive an increase
due to progessing up the wage
scale and an increase due
to the change in the wage scale
rate. For example, a wage scale
30 employee at beginning of
progression on |
| Examples
of Progression: |
WS 27 in Zone A
An employee at the Start rate in Aug
2009 will make $654.00
At the end of the contract, they will
be at Step 36 making $943.50
Increase of 44.3% ($943.50 –
654.00 = $289.50/ $654.00 = .443 = 44.3%)
WS 27 in Zone A
An employee at the 12 month step in Aug
2009 will make $728.50
At the end of the contract, they will
be at Top making $1066.00
Increase of 46.3%
WS 30 in Zone A
An employee at the 12 month step in
August 2009 will make $778.00
At the end of the contract, they will
be at Step 48 making $1090.50
Increase of 40.2%
WS 30 in Zone A
An employee at the 24 month step in Aug
2009 will make $857.50
At the end of the contract, they will
be at Top making $1215.50
Increase of 41.7%
WS 30 in Zone C
An employee at the 24 month step in Aug
29 will make $747.00
At the end of the contract, they will
be at Top making $1177.50
Increase of 57.6%
WS 30 in Zone C
An employee at the 36 month in Aug 2009
will make $853.00
At the end of the contract, they will
be at Top making $1177.50
Increase of 38.0%
CWA-BST Tentative Agreement - Payroll Issues
Below is a copy of a letter from AT&T
SE regarding a change in the previous tentative
agreement as to how benefits will be repaid
In Unity,
Judy Dennis
Vice President - CWA District 3
########################
ATT
John Tragesar
Executive Director
Labor Relations
Dear Ms. Dennis,
There was extensive discussion during
bargaining regarding Payroll issues. The CWA
expressed concern that employees receive
appropriate pay for time worked in a timely
manner. The Company recognizes these concerns
and seeks to address them.
The Company will modify internal
procedures concerning off-cycle payments:
|
Off-cycle processing of missing
Regular pay at the employee's
request; |
|
Off-cycle processing of Extra
pay for amounts of $300.00 or
greater at the employee's
request. |
A Payroll representative will be
available to attend Operations Board meetings
(by phone) on an as-needed basis to address
payroll related issues.
The Company will utilize the following
procedures concerning the collection of wage or
benefits overpayments.
| The
Company will notify the employee
before the first payroll
deduction. |
| If
the overpayment is $4,000 or
less, the deduction will be the
greater of $100 or 10% of the
employee's gross wages per pay
period, until the overpayment is
recouped. |
| If
the overpayment is more than
$4,000, the deduction will be
the greater of $100 or 20% of
the employee's gross wages per
pay period, until the
overpayment is recouped. |
| The
Company will consider employee
requests for alternative payment
arrangement when there are
extenuating personal
circumstances. Such alternative
arrangements may be implemented,
when in its sole discretion, the
Company determines the
arrangement to be appropriate
and reasonable under the
circumstances of each case. The
employee may be represented by
the |
| The
Company is not precluded from
exercising any rights it may
have under applicable law to
recover overpayments if an
employee refuses to cooperate,
or if an employee is about to
leave or has left the payroll. |
Further discussion concerning these
issues may be addressed at the Executive level.
The provisions of this letter may be
modified as necessary to comply with the
requirements of any applicable federal or states
laws or regulations.
/s/John
Trageser
Executive Director
Labor Relations
CWA-BST TA - Leveraged Title
Below is the informational piece
"Leveraged Title".
Also
click on this link for the letter sent by
the Company to District 3 with the job
description and the wages.
In Unity,
Judy Dennis
Vice President - CWA District 3
##########################
Leveraged Title
There has been some misunderstanding
about what the Leveraged Title involves, and
today we will spell out exactly what was agreed
to and what it means to you, our members:
|
First and most importantly, its
use will create |
|
NO Sales Associate will be
forced into the leveraged title. |
|
Current Sales Associates will
remain on their current wage
scale and not have a cut in
pay. Additionally, as with our
other members, Sales Associates
will receive a general wage
increase. |
|
Current Sales Associates can
volunteer to try out the
leveraged title and return to
their former Sales Associate job
and pay within 6 months if they
feel it's not right for them.
Also, if you are covered by the
AT&T Pension Plan
Benefit-Southeast Program and
move to a leveraged compensation
plan, you will keep the same
pension band you have today. |
| Term
Sales Associates will have the
choice to remain as term
Sales Associates until their
term is completed or may be
considered for selection for
regular full time Sales
Consultant positions. |
| New
Hires after ratification will be
hired into the Sales Consultant
job title which will have a 60%
base wage and 40% incentive
component. Payout of incentive
begins when 50% of objective is
exceeded and may be paid out up
to 300%. What this means is
that Sales Consultants have an
opportunity for greater
earnings potential. The more
you sell, the more your make. |
|
Job security will be enhanced
for existing Sales Associates
because both Sales Associates
and Sales Consultants will be
combined in the event of a
surplus. As always, seniority
will prevail, and in the event a
Sales Associate bumps a Sales
Consultant, they will retain
their Sales Associate title and
pay. |
|
Limited scope.
These leveraged title positions
are only for Sales Consultants
in the Consumer and Business
organizations. If the Company
wants to expand their use to
other organizations in the
future, they will need to get
our approval and must bargain
to agreement. |
|
Employees in initial training
are guaranteed 100% of the
target incentive amount during
initial training and for the 4
weeks following.
This allows our new Sales
Consultants the time necessary
to get up to speed and become
proficient. |
|
Sales Consultants will reach
the top of wage scale in only 36
months, 12 months earlier
than a Sales Associate would
reach top pay. |
|
We will have a voice.
We will establish a regional
joint committee, called the
Leveraged Compensation
Committee, which will meet twice
a year to discuss the status of
and suggestions regarding
additional leveraged
compensation plans. In
addition, if 70% of the
employees on leveraged
compensation do not qualify for
an incentive payout in any given
month, the Company will meet to
review the leveraged
compensation plan. |
|
Employees on an approved Short
Term Disability Plan will be
paid 60% of the base plus
40% of the Target Incentive
amount. |
CWA-BST Tentative Agreement - SIPP &
SSP
Click on the links below for changes to
the new TA for
|
SIPP |
| |
|
SSP |
In Unity,
Judy Dennis
Vice
President - CWA District 3
CWA-BST Tentative Agreement - Employee
Security
Below is a letter from ATT which makes
a change in the previous tentative agreement
regarding term positions and employee security.
In Unity,
Don LaRotonda
Assistant to the Vice President
########################
ATT
John Tragesar
Executive Director
Labor Relations
Mr. Don LaRotonda
Assistantant to the Vice President
Communications Workers of
Dear Don,
During 2009 Bargaining, the Company and
the
Before hiring any term positions, the
Company will first offer, to qualified surplus
employees in the Partnership Job Bank (PJB),
vacancies in their Family of Skills. These
vacancies will be limited to the exchange or an
exchange within 35 miles. The surplus employee
must indicate, when entering the PJB, their
interest in these positions.
|
After the completion of the bank
time, if still needed in the
assignment, the employee will be
rehired into the term position. |
| When
exiting the PJB the employee
will be paid the balance of
their termination pay in a lump
sum. |
| The
provisions of Article 9 will not
apply. |
|
During term status the employee
will retain their 7.02 Recall
Rights. |
This
commitment will remain in effect for the life of
the new BST agreement
CWA - BST - Understanding Leveraged Title in
the new TA
Question 1
Under the BellSouth Savings and
Security Plan and under the AT&T Savings and
Security Plan what is included in eligible
compensation for leveraged titles?
Answer:
Under the Company proposal, the only change to
the already existing definition of eligible
compensation under both savings plans for
Leveraged Titles is to include the Target
Incentive payments in the definition of eligible
compensation. Specifically in the banded savings
plans (the BSSP and the ASSP) the Target
Incentive payment will be used in the
determination of the band amount at which the
participant is eligible to contribute.
Question 2
Under our current proposal
where a current Sales Associate can go to the
Leveraged Title and then return back to a
regular Sales Associate non-Leveraged within 6
months – how would their pension be handled?
Answer:
Under the Company proposal, a Current Employee
who is a Sales Associate and moves to a
Leveraged Title will continue to be eligible for
their legacy pension plan (not the BCB2). If
that employee then returns to a non-Leveraged
Title position, they will continue to be
eligible for their legacy pension plan so there
would be no change to their pension plan
eligibility under this scenario.
Question 3
Can you tell me how an employee
in a Leveraged Title would be paid while on
Short Term Disability benefits?
Answer:
Eligible compensation under the BellSouth Short
Term Disability Plan for employees in Leveraged
Titles will be based on base wages plus the
Target Incentive amount.
CWA-BST Success Sharing Plan in the new TA
Below is an information piece on the
Success Sharing Plan. To view the
changes in the new TA
click here
SUCCESS SHARING
The new Success Sharing Plan will now
be a cash payout made directly to our members
and will not be automatically deposited into an
HRA. Members can use their money any way they
want. For the first time, Temps and Terms
are now eligible to get this cash payment.
How does this work?
There are three award years:
|
2010
from |
|
2011
from |
|
2012
from |
2010 will be based on the change of
AT&T stock price from
2011 will be based on the change of
AT&T stock price from
2012 will be based on the change of
AT&T stock price from
There will be no guessing about what
the numbers are for different business units.
Everybody will know and everybody gets the same.
For 2010, let's say the AT&T stock
price goes up between
2011 will be calculated the same way
using the difference between the stock price of
In 2012, there are two parts:
stock appreciation and dividends.
The stock appreciation is figured the
same as for 2010 and 2011 using the difference
between the stock price of
The total for 2012 in this example
would be stock price increase X 150 plus
dividends.
$1.64 X 150 Success Units = $246.00.
An additional first
time benefit for savings plan participants is
that this money is eligible for savings plan
deductions with the company match.
CWA-BST Understanding Success Sharing Plan
in the new TA
Question 1
Will the dividend portion of
the
Answer
For award year 2012,
the dividend portion of the
CWA-BST TA -
Announcement - Premiums
The District along with the
bargaining team has continuously had talks with
the Company since the tentative agreement was
reached on February 8th. CWA contended that the
rolling of the premiums in 2011 was a cost to
our members not neutral as was agreed and the
premiums should be $10.00 and $25.00. The
Company maintained it was due to administrative
cost. The bargaining team, along with CWA
research, have been working on the numbers of
setting up the HRA’s versus changing the
premiums. CWA maintained it would cost more
administratively to set up HRA’s. As of this
morning the Company has agreed and the premiums
for 2011 will be $10.00 and $25.00.
In Unity,
Judy Dennis
Vice President CWA District 3
CWA-BST Pension Benefits
February 11, 2010
Pensions
Beginning in 2010, annual
pension band increases are effective one month
earlier (moved from July to June). This is
particularly helpful to anyone who leaves the
payroll under force adjustment during 2nd
quarter, so they don't miss out on the pension
increase.
·
2% -
effective June 1, 2010
·
2% -
effective June 1, 2011
·
2% -
effective June 1, 2012
- The lump sum pension
option will be retained for the life of the
contract.
Although the Company
proposed to eliminate, we fought hard and
preserved the pre-1999 non-decreasing lump sum
pension benefit. If you're eligible for a
service pension and are still actively employed
on December 31 of each year, the lump sum value
of your pre-1999 pension band benefit is
calculated, using the applicable interest rate
and your attained age at that time. At any
time in the future, if you choose to take a lump
sum of your pre-1999 benefit, that amount will
never be less than the largest lump sum
calculated on any prior December 31. We
remain the only district that has this feature
in their pension plan.
Employees who are
surplused and demoted will continue to have
their Pension Band protected for 5 years (5 year
look back).
Beginning in the last year
of the contract (2012), we begin a phased in
schedule of 25% per year to the Pension
Protection Act (PPA) rate rather than General
Agreement of Tariffs & Trades (
New Hires
- Pension plan will be the Bargained Cash
Balance Program #2 (BCBP2) which is based on a
percent of pay instead of pension bands.
New hires will be eligible for AT&T Retirement
Savings Plan (ARSP), which currently has a 80%
match.
CWA-BST Understanding
Pension Benefits in the new TA
February 11, 2010
Question 1
Which
Answer:
Under the terms of the Tentative Agreement, the
change to the interest rate used to calculate a
lump sum form of payment under the Southeast
Program and attributable to the Pre-99 Pension
Band Benefit will be based on the Southeast
Program's lookback month and stability period as
defined by the Program prior to the change to
the Applicable Interest Rate, meaning that the
annual rate will be based on the rate derived in
November of each year preceding.
Question 2
The tentative
agreement states that we retain the
non-decreasing lump sum for the life of the
contract. Does this mean that if I retire in
December of the last year of the contract, 2012,
that I will get the highest pay out on my
pre-99, just as it was in the last contract?
That would be if my highest was based on the
Answer:
The agreement does not change the provisions of
the non-decreasing lump sum.
Question 3
What is the current
Answer:
The current 30-year Treasury Bond Rate, on which
the "
Question 4
A 35 year employee
retired and took a lump sum. He has now hired
back on as a term tech in the core contract and
subsequently, has been hired permanently. Will
he begin accruing in the BCBP2 or BellSouth
Pension Plan?
Answer:
Under the Company's proposal, the Converted
Temp/Term Employee is eligible to participate in
the Bargained Cash Balance Program 2 (BCB2)
effective January 1, 2011.
Question 5
A current employee
from another region moves to BST via the NTP.
When the employee retires they would receive the
pension benefit for service in the other region
up to the time of transfer and a pension benefit
for service while in the Southeast after the
transfer. It would be an A + B pension. What
happens if they subsequently transfer back via
the NTP from their previous region?
Answer:
Under the Company's proposal, and under this
scenario, the employee is still eligible for an
A + B benefit, the "A" piece would be made up of
the total pensionable credited service under the
non-BST plan, while the "B" piece would be made
up of their time in the Southeast Program (the
"BST plan for Current Employees").
Question 6
A core retiree
re-engaged as temp/term and now made permanent –
when he leaves again will he have core pension
or BCBP2?
Answer:
Under the Company's proposal, the rehired
employee would be considered a New Hire and
would be eligible for the BCB2. Their benefit
accrued while a New Hire would be paid out of
the BCB2. The rehired employee would retain his
vested accrued benefit from the Southeast
Program related to his prior period of
employment.
Question 7
From pension
perspective, if an employee retires with core
pension benefits and comes back to work:
·
If the rehired employee works less than 5 years
or
·
If the rehired employee works 5 or more years is
he eligible for new hire pension benefits?
Answer:
Under the Company's proposal, the rehired
employee would be considered a New Hire and
would be eligible for the BCB2, regardless of
whether the employee works more or less than 5
years. The benefit accrued while a New Hire
would be paid out of the BCB2. The rehired
employee would retain his vested accrued benefit
from the Southeast Program related to his prior
period of employment.
FOLLOW
http://files.cwa-union.org/district3/healthcare_highlights.pdf
CWA-BST Understanding Healthcare in the new
TA
Question 1
Please provide some examples of
2009 covered procedures under the CarePlus
Program.
Answer
Below are examples of 2009 Covered Procedures:
|
Cancer Therapies which include,
but are not limited to:
| ||||||
|
Additional Procedures include,
but are not limited to:
|
NOTE:
Covered Procedures are reviewed annually.
Question 2
Why is the Managed Competition
provision under the BellSouth Medical Assistance
Plan being discontinued?
Answer The
Managed Competition provision will not be
utilized as it is redundant to the AT&T review
process.
Question 3
If a member retires on
Answer If
an employee who retires during the term of the
agreement was classified as a Current Employee
while actively employed, he/she will be eligible
to participate in the BellSouth Retiree Medical
Assistance Plan (RMAP) as described in Exhibit 2
of the Benefits Article, and will be subject to
the contribution required as a result of the
Current Retiree DDB Cap provisions, unless the
former employee elects coverage under the
alternative plan option or is Medicare eligible.
A Current Employee who retires during the term
of this agreement and is either Medicare
eligible or elects the alternative medical plan
option would not be charged retiree medical
contributions for the term of this agreement for
the RMAP coverage.
However, if an employee who retires
during the term of the agreement was classified
as a New Hire or Converted Temp/Term while
actively employed, he/she will be eligible to
participate in the BellSouth Retiree Medical
Assistance Plan (RMAP) as described in Exhibit 2
of the Benefits Article with the following
exceptions which are described in Exhibit 1:
|
Eligible Retired Employees who
are Non-Medicare eligible will
pay 50% of total cost of
coverage |
|
Eligible Retired Employees who
are Medicare eligible are
ineligible for coverage. |
Question 4
Will medical premiums be
deducted bi-weekly or monthly?
Answer Under
current administrative practices, medical
contributions are expressed as monthly totals to
be deducted bi-weekly from active employee
paychecks.
Question 5
List of covered preventive
health care?
Answer The
list of covered preventive health care items did
not change and are the same as they are today
but do not represent an all inclusive list.The
preventive care guidelines of each respective
medical carrier will be followed and may change
from time to time based on industry-wide
prevailing medical guidelines and procedural
changes.
Question 6
Under the Prescription Drug
plan changes for 2011. If the doctor prescribes
a brand name drug, and this drug is on
preferred/formulary drug list for the copay of
$20 retail/$40 mail order or would they be
required to take the generic if a generic is
available? Or would the member have to pay the
difference between the generic and brand?
Answer
An individual who purchases a brand name drug at
a network retail or Mail Order pharmacy when a
generic is available, will be required to pay
the generic copay plus the cost difference
between the brand name drug and the generic
drug, even if the physician has indicated
Dispense as Written. If the individual cannot
take the generic drug for medical reasons, an
appeal may be filed with the prescription drug
claims administrator. If the appeal is approved,
the participant will receive the Formulary or
Non-Formulary Brand Name Drug for the applicable
Formulary or Non-Formulary Brand Name Drug
Copayment and not be responsible for the cost
difference between the generic and the brand
name drug.
Question 7
If spousal carve out is
eliminated will an employee be allowed to cover
his/her spouse under the family plan even if the
spouse works for a company who offers insurance?
Answer Yes.
However, if the spouse elects their company's
coverage then the Coordination of Benefits
provisions will continue to apply as described
in the Summary Plan Description.
Question 8
Will full time union presidents
on leave have their health care paid for by the
company?
Answer Coverage
may be continued for those employees covered by
Article 26.02 in the applicable company medical
plan pursuant to the same conditions and to the
same extent as a comparable employee on the
active payroll during the Union leave.
Question 9
What is the definition of
eligible/allowance expenses under
Answer Benefit
payments for covered services are based on the
amount of the provider's charge that we
recognize for payment of benefits. This amount
is limited to the lesser of the provider's
charge for care or the amount of that charge
that is determined by the carrier to be
allowable depending on the type of provider
utilized. Reasonable and Customary (R&C) are the
amount of the charges that the carrier
recognizes for payment of Non-Network/Non-PPO
benefits.
Question 10
Are R&C rates dictated or
negotiated?
Answer R&C
rates are determined by each carrier.
Question 11
Are R&C amounts Industry
Standard or does the company negotiate R&C?
Answer Each
carrier is responsible to determine allowable
charges using industry standards and fee data.
Question 12
Do you have to be admitted to
the hospital or have a life threatening injury
for Emergency Room benefits to be paid?
Answer No,
under
Question 13
Please provide a list of
eligible Preventative Test under
Answer
Under the Company's proposal, the
preventive care guidelines of each respective
medical carrier will be followed (See response
to Question #5). Examples of preventive tests
that could be covered under the
|
Venipuncture, Urinalysis, Lipid
Panel, Cholesterol, Lipoprotein,
Triglycerides |
| TB
Skin Test when provided in
conjunction with an office visit |
|
Routine Immunizations |
|
Routine Pap Smears |
|
Routine Mammogram |
|
Routine Prostate Specific
Antigen ( |
| |
| EKG,
Basic Metabolic Panel, General
Health Panel, Comprehensive
Metabolic Panel, Renal Function
Panel |
|
Colorectal Cancer Screening –
Ages 50 and Over |
Question 14
What happens if an employee
cannot take a "generic" drug?
Answer
Under the Company's current proposal the
individual would be required to pay the generic
copay plus the cost difference between the
generic and the brand name drug. (Please refer
to Question #6 for additional information.)
Question 15
Specialty Pharmacy – does that
cover compounded drugs?
Answer Yes,
however, generally compound drugs are not
considered specialty drugs.
Question 16
Since managed competition is
going away, what
Answer
The Company will continue to offer the
Question 17
What drugs are listed on the
formulary? How often does the formulary list
change? How are employees advised of the list of
drugs on the formulary and how will they be
notified of changes to the formulary?
Answer
The individual would receive a letter from the
pharmacy benefits manager if they were taking a
formulary drug and that drug was being taken off
the formulary drug list. The formulary
(preferred brand) drugs are listed on the
Caremark web site, and are available for
participant viewing at any time. These drugs are
reviewed at least quarterly by the pharmacy
benefits manager. This means that the list will
change from time to time.
Question 18
Does the birthday rule still
apply?
Answer There
is no change to the birthday rule in the Company
proposal.
Question 19
If we have two employees that
are either married or domestic partners do they
have to have individual coverage or can they
have family coverage? What if one is management
and one is craft? If one of the employees
retirees does the one retiring have to go on
retiree benefits or can he/she remain on his/her
spouses active coverage?
Answer
If two employees of the Company are also married
to each other or are Eligible Domestic Partners
they are eligible to either enroll separately or
as a family; however, they cannot be enrolled as
both an employee and as a dependent. If one is
retired and the other active, whether management
or craft, the same elections apply – they may
enroll separately or as a family.
Question 20
In regards to the
Answer Should
the Company decide to discontinue the provisions
of the
Question 21
Is the VEBA Trust for active
and retirees?
Answer
There are 2 VEBAs in place for SE Bargained
Retirees. One for Health and Welfare benefits
and one for Life Insurance benefits.
Question 22
What expenses come out of the
VEBA trust?
Answer Health
Care expenses for current retirees are paid from
the Health and Welfare VEBA and Basic/Accidental
Death & Dismemberment benefits are paid from the
Life Insurance VEBA.
Question 23
Define the Health VEBA Trust
Answer The
Health VEBA Trust was first established in 1990
as a means of funding post-retirement medical
costs paid by the Company.
Question 24
Will the VEBA money remain in
the VEBA trust?
Answer Yes,
VEBA money is kept in the VEBA until used to pay
benefits incurred by the covered population.
Question 25
What happened to SE Long Term
Care Plan?
Answer The
SE Long Term Care Plan was renamed the AT&T
Consolidated Long-Term Care Insurance Plan and
the
Question 26
If a former retiree comes back
on the payroll as a temp/term do they need to
leave prior to
Answer If
the retired employee is rehired after August 8,
2009 as a Temp or Term (or Regular) Employee,
they will be treated as a New Hire Employee
while active, and upon subsequent termination
will pay 50% of total cost of coverage if they
bridge service.
Question 27
Can retiree vision be paid
yearly or quarterly instead of monthly?
Answer Yes, retiree
vision contributions may be made in advance.
CWA-BST - Employment Security
EMPLOYMENT SECURITY
Jurisdiction of Work
The Company came after us hard and
proposed eliminating the protections of Article
14. This would have allowed the Company to
contract out our core Network work. There
are no changes and we continue to have the best
protection for core Network work of any
District.
Force Adjustment
We were able to make numerous changes
that provide additional options for our members.
|
Expanded SIPP will
always be offered, even
in an economic surplus. |
| SIPP
has been granted to employees
performing essentially the same
type work, in the organizational
unit, we added that it will be
offered in title in the
organizational unit. This will
ensure that senior SIPP takers
are not over looked at the
beginning of the process. |
|
Increased the number of Optional
ESIPP requests from one to two. |
| Now,
before hiring for any term
positions, if interested,
qualified surplus employees in
the Job Bank will be offered
positions in their Family of
Skills, in their home exchange
or any exchange within 35
miles. At the end of their Job
Bank eligibility, they can exit
the bank, collect their
termination pay, and be rehired
as a term to complete the term
assignment. |
|
Renewed the Job Offer Guarantee
(JOG) agreement which guarantees
eligible surplus employees a job
offer within the nine state SE
region. |
|
Added a title to the Family of
Skills list for skill group 6 &
8. |
|
7.01K Return Rights are expanded
for surplus employees that
transfer to Billing or Utilities
in an equal or lower level job.
These employees will still have
return rights back to BST. |
| For
several bargaining cycles we
have attempted to come to some
agreement on how to break
seniority ties concerning the
junior employee to be processed
in Article 7. The union wanted
every employee to have an equal
chance every quarter (similar to
drawing a name out of a hat).
We found a software program that
creates a list of random
numbers. The |
All of these changes give surplus
employees additional options in an effort to
help you stay on the payroll.
National Card Check
We now have Neutrality and Card Check
Recognition which will address future Union
organizing efforts and will be administered on a
national basis. In many previous
bargaining sessions, we fought hard but were
unsuccessful in obtaining card check and now we
have it to grow the union and jobs.
National Transfer Plan
We will now be able to participate in
the Inter-subsidiary Movement (IMF) process and
the CWA Surplus Exchange (CSE) process as
defined in the National Transfer Plan for
movement between various AT&T companies.
Employees may express their interest in
consideration for jobs in other regions.
|
Under the IMF process, eligible
employees will receive priority
placement before external hires
(after regional contract
processes) for any bargaining
unit job in participating
companies for which they
qualify. Employees that are
equally qualified will be
offered in order of seniority.
Employees will suffer no break
in service for pension
eligibility. |
|
Under the CSE process, surplus
employees who express an
interest in available positions
in participating companies will
receive priority placement
before external hires (after
regional contract processes) for
any bargaining unit job for
which they qualify. Allows CWA
represented surplus employees
the right to follow their work
should vacancies exist.
Relocation allowance will be
paid, if applicable. |
Supplemental Screening
Renewed the agreement for supplemental
screening process. This allows members use
of their paid time off or unpaid time off to
comply with the
Safe Load Limits
Renewed the Safe Load Limits MOA which
allows employees to elect to participate in the
PARTNERSHIP Job Bank if they are unsuccessful in
meeting the weight requirements.
Temp/Term and Part-Time
We were successful in making
improvements for temp/term and part-time members
as well.
| Temp
and terms can now be converted
to regular full-time, prior to
hiring. | ||||||||
|
Extended the project limits for
a term employee to 36 months. | ||||||||
|
After a term employee has been
in an assignment for 24 months,
they can now submit requests for
equal and lower levels jobs and
will be considered prior to
hiring. | ||||||||
| We
bargained a one time conversion
process for current temps/terms
and part-time in Network.
|
Bargaining Unit Expanded
BellSouth Long
Distance, BellSouth Corporation, and BASC were
brought into the BST contract, expanding their
contract provisions. We took care that
their rights were protected.
CWA-BST TA - Other Significant Changes
Tuition Aid
Employees and their jobs continue to be
affected by changes in technology, and the need
for ongoing employee development – inside or
outside of AT&T – has never been greater.
We maintained the flexibility for you to pursue
a career path of your choice.
We also realize the importance of
paying for textbooks. This expense has
made it a hardship for some employees to use the
Tuition Aid Plan. Now the cost of
textbooks will be included in the plan.
The tuition, lab fees, and cost of textbooks
will be paid directly to you.
More information will be provided in
the coming weeks on participating in the
program. We encourage you to take
advantage of this opportunity.
Aligning For Success
We will continue to work with the
Company to ensure the success of our members and
the Company through the Aligning for Success
process. We stressed during bargaining
that the success of the Company is built on the
knowledge, skills and dedication of you - our
members.
This process gives us a voice and input
into the decision making and problem solving
process at all levels of BST. It also
guarantees meetings with the Company, on an
ongoing basis, to find solutions on issues that
are important to you.
The previous LGPs and Business Unit
Boards structure will remain in place. We
believe our ongoing involvement will result in
continued improvement in your work and family
life.
CWA Representatives and Local
Presidents who serve on the boards will continue
to be appointed by the
Time Off
CWA members work hard and deserve
adequate time off the job and the flexibility to
use this time when they need it. CWA has made
improvements in this area over the years.
In this bargaining session, we ensured continued
flexibility by:
Continuing Easy Time
– Employees in Consumer will continue to be able
to schedule up to 2 full vacation days to be
used in 15 minute increments due to personal
needs and/or family obligations.
Increasing Flexible Excused Work
Days – Network employees may
now schedule two of their EWDS to be used
flexibly. This time can be taken in one
hour increments based on the employee's personal
need to take the time.
Eliminating Days of Local
Significance – To give
employees the added flexibility to decide what
days they want to schedule for Optional
Holidays, we eliminated all "Days of Local
Significance" currently substituted for an
Optional Holiday (e.g., Mardi Gras).
Employees may now schedule ANY day of their
choice. This does NOT mean that we
gave up the right to substitute a day in the
future if locally desired.
Expanding Immediate Family
– We have a number of members that have
stepbrothers and/or stepsisters. It is
extremely important for our members to be
granted time off for the death of these
relatives without it being held against them on
their record. We were successful in adding
stepbrother and stepsister to the immediate
family definition.
Other
Stand-by Tech – The
Company wanted one-day coverage, to move pay to
a flat daily rate and to remove the provision
for volunteers only. We were NOT
interested! We did agree to add an
extended weekend option for Friday, Saturday and
Sunday, keeping the same pay and restricting to
volunteers.
Union Activities
We were successful in negotiating paid
time (UAP) for Union Reps to meet with managers
of other AT&T bargaining units. Previously this
time was unpaid by the Company and was a
significant expense to the Locals.
Although this is a major benefit to all, it is
especially important to our smaller Locals.
In addition, we renewed the agreement
that Union Activity (unpaid) time will be
counted towards FMLA eligibility.
Incentive Language
All of our
members are
CWA - BST Understanding Leveraged Title in the new TA (2/22)
Updated - Questions 4, 5,
6 added
Question 1
Under the BellSouth Savings and
Security Plan and under the AT&T Savings and
Security Plan what is included in eligible
compensation for leveraged titles?
Answer:
Under the Company proposal, the only change to
the already existing definition of eligible
compensation under both savings plans for
Leveraged Titles is to include the Target
Incentive payments in the definition of eligible
compensation. Specifically in the banded savings
plans (the BSSP and the ASSP) the Target
Incentive payment will be used in the
determination of the band amount at which the
participant is eligible to contribute.
Question 2
Under our current proposal
where a current Sales Associate can go to the
Leveraged Title and then return back to a
regular Sales Associate non-Leveraged within 6
months – how would their pension be handled?
Answer:
Under the Company proposal, a Current Employee
who is a Sales Associate and moves to a
Leveraged Title will continue to be eligible for
their legacy pension plan (not the BCB2). If
that employee then returns to a non-Leveraged
Title position, they will continue to be
eligible for their legacy pension plan so there
would be no change to their pension plan
eligibility under this scenario.
Question 3
Can you tell me how an employee
in a Leveraged Title would be paid while on
Short Term Disability benefits?
Answer:
Eligible compensation under the BellSouth Short
Term Disability Plan for employees in Leveraged
Titles will be based on base wages plus the
Target Incentive amount.
Updated
CWA-BST Understanding Healthcare in the new
TA (2/22)
Updated Question
28 added
Question 1
Please provide some examples of 2009
covered procedures under the CarePlus Program.
Answer Below are
examples of 2009 Covered Procedures:
| Cancer
Therapies which include, but are
not limited to:
| ||||||
| Additional
Procedures include, but are not
limited to:
|
NOTE: Covered Procedures are
reviewed annually.
Question 2
Why is the Managed Competition
provision under the BellSouth Medical Assistance
Plan being discontinued?
Answer The Managed
Competition provision will not be utilized as it
is redundant to the AT&T review process.
Question 3 If a member retires
on
Answer If an employee
who retires during the term of the agreement was
classified as a Current Employee while actively
employed, he/she will be eligible to participate
in the BellSouth Retiree Medical Assistance Plan
(RMAP) as described in Exhibit 2 of the Benefits
Article, and will be subject to the contribution
required as a result of the Current Retiree DDB
Cap provisions, unless the former employee
elects coverage under the alternative plan
option or is Medicare eligible. A Current
Employee who retires during the term of this
agreement and is either Medicare eligible or
elects the alternative medical plan option would
not be charged retiree medical contributions for
the term of this agreement for the RMAP
coverage.
However, if an employee who retires during
the term of the agreement was classified as a
New Hire or Converted Temp/Term while actively
employed, he/she will be eligible to participate
in the BellSouth Retiree Medical Assistance Plan
(RMAP) as described in Exhibit 2 of the Benefits
Article with the following exceptions which are
described in Exhibit 1:
| Eligible
Retired Employees who are
Non-Medicare eligible will pay
50% of total cost of coverage |
| Eligible
Retired Employees who are
Medicare eligible are ineligible
for coverage. |
Question 4
Will medical premiums be deducted
bi-weekly or monthly?
Answer Under current
administrative practices, medical contributions
are expressed as monthly totals to be deducted
bi-weekly from active employee paychecks.
Question 5
List of covered preventive health
care?
Answer The list of
covered preventive health care items did not
change and are the same as they are today but do
not represent an all inclusive list.The
preventive care guidelines of each respective
medical carrier will be followed and may change
from time to time based on industry-wide
prevailing medical guidelines and procedural
changes.
Question 6
Under the Prescription Drug plan
changes for 2011. If the doctor prescribes a
brand name drug, and this drug is on
preferred/formulary drug list for the copay of
$20 retail/$40 mail order or would they be
required to take the generic if a generic is
available? Or would the member have to pay the
difference between the generic and brand?
Answer An individual
who purchases a brand name drug at a network
retail or Mail Order pharmacy when a generic is
available, will be required to pay the generic
copay plus the cost difference between the brand
name drug and the generic drug, even if the
physician has indicated Dispense as Written. If
the individual cannot take the generic drug for
medical reasons, an appeal may be filed with the
prescription drug claims administrator. If the
appeal is approved, the participant will receive
the Formulary or Non-Formulary Brand Name Drug
for the applicable Formulary or Non-Formulary
Brand Name Drug Copayment and not be responsible
for the cost difference between the generic and
the brand name drug.
Question 7
If spousal carve out is eliminated
will an employee be allowed to cover his/her
spouse under the family plan even if the spouse
works for a company who offers insurance?
Answer Yes. However,
if the spouse elects their company's coverage
then the Coordination of Benefits provisions
will continue to apply as described in the
Summary Plan Description.
Question 8
Will full time union presidents on
leave have their health care paid for by the
company?
Answer Coverage may
be continued for those employees covered by
Article 26.02 in the applicable company medical
plan pursuant to the same conditions and to the
same extent as a comparable employee on the
active payroll during the Union leave.
Question 9
What is the definition of
eligible/allowance expenses under
Answer Benefit
payments for covered services are based on the
amount of the provider's charge that we
recognize for payment of benefits. This amount
is limited to the lesser of the provider's
charge for care or the amount of that charge
that is determined by the carrier to be
allowable depending on the type of provider
utilized. Reasonable and Customary (R&C) are the
amount of the charges that the carrier
recognizes for payment of Non-Network/Non-PPO
benefits.
Question 10
Are R&C rates dictated or negotiated?
Answer R&C rates are
determined by each carrier.
Question 11
Are R&C amounts Industry Standard or
does the company negotiate R&C?
Answer Each carrier
is responsible to determine allowable charges
using industry standards and fee data.
Question 12
Do you have to be admitted to the
hospital or have a life threatening injury for
Emergency Room benefits to be paid?
Answer No, under
Question 13
Please provide a list of eligible
Preventative Test under
Answer Under the
Company's proposal, the preventive care
guidelines of each respective medical carrier
will be followed (See response to Question #5).
Examples of preventive tests that could be
covered under the
|
Venipuncture, Urinalysis, Lipid
Panel, Cholesterol, Lipoprotein,
Triglycerides |
| TB Skin
Test when provided in
conjunction with an office visit |
| Routine
Immunizations |
| Routine
Pap Smears |
| Routine
Mammogram |
| Routine
Prostate Specific Antigen ( |
| |
| EKG, Basic
Metabolic Panel, General Health
Panel, Comprehensive Metabolic
Panel, Renal Function Panel |
| Colorectal
Cancer Screening – Ages 50 and
Over |
Question 14
What happens if an employee cannot
take a "generic" drug?
Answer Under the Company's
current proposal the individual would be
required to pay the generic copay plus the cost
difference between the generic and the brand
name drug. (Please refer to Question #6 for
additional information.)
Question 15
Specialty Pharmacy – does that cover
compounded drugs?
Answer Yes, however,
generally compound drugs are not considered
specialty drugs.
Question 16
Since managed competition is going
away, what
Answer The Company
will continue to offer the
Question 17
What drugs are listed on the
formulary? How often does the formulary list
change? How are employees advised of the list of
drugs on the formulary and how will they be
notified of changes to the formulary?
Answer The individual
would receive a letter from the pharmacy
benefits manager if they were taking a formulary
drug and that drug was being taken off the
formulary drug list. The formulary (preferred
brand) drugs are listed on the Caremark web
site, and are available for participant viewing
at any time. These drugs are reviewed at least
quarterly by the pharmacy benefits manager. This
means that the list will change from time to
time.
Question 18
Does the birthday rule still apply?
Answer There is no
change to the birthday rule in the Company
proposal.
Question 19
If we have two employees that are
either married or domestic partners do they have
to have individual coverage or can they have
family coverage? What if one is management and
one is craft? If one of the employees retirees
does the one retiring have to go on retiree
benefits or can he/she remain on his/her spouses
active coverage?
Answer If two
employees of the Company are also married to
each other or are Eligible Domestic Partners
they are eligible to either enroll separately or
as a family; however, they cannot be enrolled as
both an employee and as a dependent. If one is
retired and the other active, whether management
or craft, the same elections apply – they may
enroll separately or as a family.
Question 20
In regards to the
Answer Should the
Company decide to discontinue the provisions of
the
Question 21
Is the VEBA Trust for active and
retirees?
Answer There are 2
VEBAs in place for SE Bargained Retirees. One
for Health and Welfare benefits and one for Life
Insurance benefits.
Question 22
What expenses come out of the VEBA
trust?
Answer Health Care
expenses for current retirees are paid from the
Health and Welfare VEBA and Basic/Accidental
Death & Dismemberment benefits are paid from the
Life Insurance VEBA.
Question 23
Define the Health VEBA Trust
Answer The Health
VEBA Trust was first established in 1990 as a
means of funding post-retirement medical costs
paid by the Company.
Question 24
Will the VEBA money remain in the
VEBA trust?
Answer Yes, VEBA money is
kept in the VEBA until used to pay benefits
incurred by the covered population.
Question 25
What happened to SE Long Term Care
Plan?
Answer The SE Long
Term Care Plan was renamed the AT&T Consolidated
Long-Term Care Insurance Plan and the
Question 26
If a former retiree comes back on the
payroll as a temp/term do they need to leave
prior to
Answer If the retired
employee is rehired after August 8, 2009 as a
Temp or Term (or Regular) Employee, they will be
treated as a New Hire Employee while active, and
upon subsequent termination will pay 50% of
total cost of coverage if they bridge service.
Question 27
Can retiree vision be paid yearly or
quarterly instead of monthly?
Answer Yes, retiree
vision contributions may be made in advance.
Updated
Question 28
If an employee retires as "current"
and then comes back to work and leaves again do
they pay as "current" or future retiree?
Answer A
retiree who is rehired and then subsequently
retires would normally be treated as a future
retiree (Eligible Retired Employee) during the
term of the agreement, unless they did not
bridge service with eligibility for
postretirement benefits.
Furthermore, if the retiree
was re-hired on or before 08/08/09, they would
be eligible for benefits provided to "Current
Employees", however, if the retiree was rehired
after 08/08/09, they would be eligible for
benefits provided to "New Hire", as provided in
Exhibit 1, in the "Medical" subsection of the
"Retiree Provisions" section
|
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CWA-BST Understanding Wages in the new TA
(2/22)
Question 1
Answer:
Under the revised tentative agreement, these
employees would receive retro pay from
Question 2
An employee in CVSG
accepts a position in BAPCO effective
Answer:
Under the revised tentative agreement, this
employee would receive retro pay from
Question 3
Are Term employees
eligible for retro pay?
Answer:
Yes, under the revised tentative agreement, the
retroactive pay adjustment applies to all
employees. This retroactive wage increase as
well as the other provisions of the revised
tentative agreement is expressly conditioned on
ratification of the agreement by
|
|
CWA-BST DRAFT CONTRACT
Click here to view the CWA-ATTSE/BST
Contract. It is the 2004 contract with the
bolded changes made at bargaining except for
those negotiated for the 2nd TA.
The changes in the 2nd
TA were as follows:
1.
ESIPP - Up-front SIPP will be offered to
all in title in Organizational Unit regardless
of the type work performed
2.
Letter to VP Dennis regarding Payroll Issues.
3.
Letter to Don LaRotonda regarding Term Positions
Employee Security
This copy is a draft only
due to the contract not being ratified. It
has been proofed by the bargaining team.
In Unity,
Judy Dennis
Vice President
CWA District 3