As we are all aware, the Governor communicated, via email, his desire for State employees to return to the office for at least some portion of the work week.   He has identified two dates for returning to the office:  June 1 for front-facing customer service and July 1 for all others.  This does not mean the end of Telework, the Governor specifically identifies the Interim Telework agreement and states “we will continue with the pre-COVID-19 interim telework guidelines, which allows eligible employees, in the covered bargaining units and others including managers, to work from home up to 50% of the time with manager approval”.   

What strikes us is that Gov Lamont’s return to the office directive appears to be more of a public consumption announcement as opposed to a logical policy position.  He presents his  “let’s plan for our new normal work environment” while unveiling a plan that simply states, let’s get back to 2019.  What he ignored is the obvious conclusion that high-frequency telecommuting should remain as the “new normal”.  It ignores that the telecommuting directives we have been operating under were actually exceedingly successful and far more efficient than the common office structure he wants us to revisit.  Even if we pretend the virus is no longer highly contagious and can no longer lead to serious health consequences, his “going forward” plan should recognize that we accomplished a tremendous amount of positive work-product while telecommuting, while at the same time reducing traffic congestion and lowering our carbon footprint.

That aside, the Telework Interim Agreement that the Governor addresses in his email is outdated at this point.  That agreement was designed as a way of testing Telecommuting; we no longer need to test it, telecommuting has passed the test.  Telecommuting works!!!   We expect that those who were able to telecommute last year will continue to telecommute at least 50% of the tme after July 1.  Many were already  working a hybrid schedule consisting of some in office work combined with telecommuting, such schedules should continue.  A&R and a few other unions will be meeting with the Office of Labor Relations very soon to negotiate the Interim Agreement into a much more relevant document.  Management’s prior assertions that telecommuting was impossible or too complex to manage have been shown to be demonstrably false.  It is our intention and our hope that we will have a better agreement with the Governor on the future of Telework now that all of our employees have proven that it is a success. 

-5/13/21

As many are aware, we have been running a few contests from the A&R Facebook page, this week is the last contest we have planned (alright, we will be trying to do a Bingo Night in June, but that's a secret right now)...so our final contest is a "Caption that Photo Contest".  Below is the picture we want you to "caption".  The contest is open now but will close on Wednesday May 12th at 8pm and the winners will be picked by the A&R Social Cmte the next day.

The basic rules for this contest:

• •Post your most creative caption in the comment section below the photo on the A&R Facebook page and be sure to put your name above the caption so we know who you are.
• •Each member will be allowed to post as many captions as they wish.  Just be sure to ‘reply’ to your first caption submitted if you have other additional submissions you want to enter.  This is to ensure we receive all of your entries under your name.
• • At 8:00pm on Wednesday, May 12^th, the game will close and the Social Committee will vote on the winners. 

There will be a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winner. Prizes awarded to the 1st and 2nd place winners will win an AWESOME prize, and the 3rd place winners will get $25 in gift cards!!

Don’t miss your chance to win!!!

COVID Premium Pay and Other Developing Rumors

As has been widely reported in the press, Governor Lamont has proposed what has been referred to as “combat pay” bonuses for state employees working on the front lines in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.  There has been much speculation, also reflected in the press, regarding the details of how that plan would be enacted, who will be eligible for the payments, and how much those payments will be per employee.  Similarly, there are legislative proposals at the General Assembly which would provide $5 per hour for state workers required to work on-site during the pandemic, and up to $10 per hour for those at specific risk due to the nature of their work (working in congregate settings such as nursing homes, group homes, corrections facilities, and etcetera).  Potential payments referenced in the press run the gamut, from a low of about $500 under the Governor’s plan to a high of up to $20,000 under other proposed legislation.  However, these are mere speculations. The ultimate outcome, of course, is subject to Legislative approval, and that approval does not appear near at hand.  Further, any bill under consideration by the General Assembly must navigate the legislative process and therefore is subject to change.  To be certain, this is a developing narrative.  To give some perspective, in Massachusetts last year, some front-line health care workers received “hazard pay’' bonuses of $500 related to the coronavirus pandemic.

To be clear, Governor Lamont’s plan does not specify which employees will qualify for pandemic Premium Pay, nor does it specify the amount of pandemic Premium Pay qualifying employees will receive.  While we appreciate the general sentiment of the Governor’s proposal as presented in his Plan for the American Rescue Plan Act, the proposal itself consists of a mere two sentences: “The Governor recommends $10 million for premium pay for front line state employees. This funding will provide financial recognition for the essential workers who gave us security during the COVID-19 pandemic”.  The state employee unions have collectively been seeking to compensate those employees who put themselves in harm’s way to carry out the onsite mission of the state throughout the pandemic.  We support the idea of premium pay for all employees, in both the public and private sectors.  This issue has been simmering “behind the scenes” throughout the course of the pandemic. We will continue to seek and support pandemic premium payments.  A&R’s position is that there should be funds made available and those funds should be distributed equitably to all state employees who were designated level one COVID essential and required to report onsite at work during the pandemic.

-5/4/21

Health and Dental Open Enrollment runs from May 3 to May 28, 2021...this is the only time during the year you can change your insurance plan (unless there is a life changing event).

Look over the options and the pricing and submit any changes to your agency HR/Payroll before the May 28 deadline.  Here is the link to the Open Enrollment information

There are some new pieces to the healthcare plan, including a new dental option and a new medical plan: Anthem Prime (this was actually introduced last year but many were not aware of it).  Both new plans are a little more affordable than the

The Health Enhancement Program is sponsoring a diabetes prevention program.  Successful completion of the 12 month program can earn you a $200 reward.  Fellow union member Angie Russo (Department of Banking) can be seen in a brief video below describing the benefits of the program.

We know the pandemic conditions are getting to all of us and we have not been able to provide trips for the first half of this year and we need a break from the malaise.  Therefore, A&R is going to hold some games for prizes over the next few Wednesdays!

These games will involve interaction with our Facebook page and can be found at: @AREmployeesUnion or https://www.facebook.com/AREmployeesUnion.  Please feel free to “like and follow” for more information on upcoming contests/results and union updates as well.

The first Facebook contest that we will be starting with is a Scavenger Hunt on