AFT raised their dues at their annual convention, the impact will be an increase of 11 cents per paycheck (roughly $3 per year).   This increase does not go to A&R, it is passed to AFT.   This increase will be reflected in your pay check dated September 29, 2017.  The increase may be offset by a reduction in A&R dues.  Based on the reduction in salaries (due to furlough days) through June 2018, some members may have a decrease in their A&R dues by roughly 20 to 30 cents per pay period.  So although you may see a decrease in the total dues amount deducted, the decrease will actually contain an increase to AFT. 

A&R is AFT Local 4200.  Although we have not raised our dues (in fact, they may be lower this year), we are required by the union's constitution to implement the dues increase approved by the national and state organizations, in this case, 11 cents per paycheck.  -9/1/17

Monday is Labor Day.  It is exactly what it sounds like: it is a day set aside to honor and commemorate all that labor unions have contributed to the work environment.  All of the gains achieved through the labor movement have had such a tremendous, positive, and noteable impact on the wages, hours, and working conditions of this country that this day was created and maintained as a national holiday for over 120 years.  9/1/17

IMPORTANT: DEADLINE OF THURSDAY 9/14

Reduction of Retiree Health Fund Contribution Form (CO-1330 fillable form
Word Version)

Reduction of Retiree Health Fund Contribution Form (CO-1330 pdf version)

Anyone wishing to offset the 1.5% pension contribution increase must complete and submit the attached form NO LATER THAN September 14, 2017 to your Human Resources Department:

If you choose to offset the 1.5% pension contribution, please know and understand how this operates.  While it will provide monetary relief this year, it WILL cost more as the defered contributions MUST be paid back between July

A few updates on our Healthcare plan:

CVS/Caremark Notices On Prescription Formulary:
CVS/Caremark is mailing out notifications regarding changes to covered medications.  These letters were sent to active employees and retirees.  This is inaccurate; retirees (and October 1, 2017 soon-to-be retirees) will not have any changes in the current prescription drug formulary; this will be corrected by CVS/Caremark.

For active employees and those retiring after October 1, 2017, CVS/Caremark is notifying people who take certain medications if their current medication is no longer the preferred covered drug

Update 8/31/17:  A&R has filed a grievance relating to the State’s intention of charging 24hrs of furlough time to employees who leave State service prior to the designated furlough days.  A&R members who are retiring are routinely being told to take the furloughs now b/c the cost of the furloughs will be applied against their final payout regardless.  While many other unions used language that states: “Every member must take 3 furlough days between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018”, A&R did not use that language or anything similar.  As such, A&R does not believe that our contract language