• Stay Healthy - Stay Compliant
• Minimize your insurance premiums
• Receive $100 if you have a chronic condition and are HEP compliant

With the year drawing to a close, it is important for all members to ensure compliance with the Health Enhancement Program (HEP).  All persons covered under your health insurance must be HEP compliant.  Failure to achieve HEP compliance before January 1^st, 2017 will result in increased insurance premiums of $100 per month as well as encumbering a $350 annual deductible per covered individual.  Click the link to review 2016 HEP Requirements.

If you have one of the chronic conditions, be sure to complete your requirements before January 1^st, 2017 otherwise you will not be eligible for the $100 HEP chronic condition compliance payment.

HEP Chronic Conditions include:

• Diabetes
• COPD (or asthma)
• Coronary Artery Disease (heart disease/failure)
• Hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol)
• Hypertension

To check your compliance status at any time, and for more information about the Health Enhancement Program, visit www.CTHEP.com.

Layoffs in excess of 400 employees were recently announced at the Department of Developmental Services (DDS).  The layoffs are largely the result of an agency decision to privatize 20 group homes.  This continues the agency’s trend toward privatization, with nearly two-thirds of state-run group homes to be privatized.  No A&R titles have been impacted by the DDS layoffs thus far.  The expectation is that there will be some level of impact to A&R, but DDS has not informed us of any A&R positions that will be impacted by layoff.  We are monitoring the situation and remain cautiously optimistic.

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The Rowland settlement consists of two basic components, (1) Emotional Distress/Punitive Damages and (2) Economic Damages.  By now, everyone should have received the emotional distress/punitive damage award in the form of vacation days and/or personal days.  We are aware that most members have not yet received an offer to settle the Economic Damages portion of the award.  The Economic Damages payments are forthcoming, but have been delayed due to the complexity of processing them.  Members will be compensated for delayed payments by receiving 5% simple interest when their award is paid.

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At the negotiations table the union has proposed reasonable wage increases, increments, and the payment of top step bonuses in each year of our successor contract.  Wages, increments, and top step bonuses are among our highest priorities.  Negotiations are ongoing, with the outcome yet to be determined.  Any settlement reached between the State and the Union needs the approval of the membership.  Absent a settlement, the successor contract will be determined via arbitration award.  We are well positioned for either scenario.

It has come to our attention that an anonymous text message is

-7/11/16

Employees who qualified for the $100 HEP Compliance payment can expect the payment to be included in the August 4th paycheck (retirees in the August 30th check).  Taxes are deducted from the payment.

To qualify for the $100 payment, full compliance for "chronic conditions" had to be achieved between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015.  Chronic conditions under our healthcare plan are:

1. Diabetes
2. Asthma/COPD
3. Heart failure/heart disease
4. Hyperlipidemia
5. Hypertension

-7/7/2016

A contract extension agreement has been reached between the State and A&R.  An extension agreement is NOT a new contract, it is sort of a “bridge” between the expired contract and the successor agreement.  The extension is effective until a successor agreement is reached through the Collective Bargaining process.  According to the terms of this agreement, most, but not all of the rights in our expired contract will continue to be in effect until a successor agreement is approved.  In essence, the extension agreement carries forward the language portions of the contract but does not appropriate any “new money”.  This means we continue to have bumping rights, we continue to have AWS, sick leave bank, overtime guidelines, winter weather language, grievance procedures, transfer language and all other protections and benefits that the contract affords us.  However, we will not receive any of the “money” items until we have a successor agreement.

 According to CGS 5-278a, which governs lapsed bargaining unit contracts, the following items, and ONLY the following items needed to remain in effect for the State to be operating within the letter of the law:

1. Salaries
2. Differentials
3. Overtime
4. Longevity
5. Allowances for uniforms

Some of the notable items that are not available through the “bridge” contract:

1. No GWI/COLA in July 2016
2. No Step increases/Top Step payment in January 2017
3. No new Tuition Reimbursement funds
4. No new Professional Development funds

Another notable aspect is that during the “bridge” period, Article 13 section 8 will be expired giving the State the ability to contract out; this protection expired at the conclusion of our contract.  We will have it re-established in our next contract.

Separately, after lengthy discussions, OLR has finally agreed to cover 2015/16 tuition reimbursement requests.  This is a substantial and beneficial development as OLR had not released the requested funds for nearly 10 months.  Any pending unpaid requests should be processed/paid in the forthcoming month. 

Another issue of concern relates to Alternative Work Schedules.  There was wide-spread speculation that agencies could deny AWS requests absent our contract.  This concern can now be allayed as AWS will continue through this “bridge” period.  Further, the AWS/Weather Delay MOU will also continue.

Over the past several months we have taken many “pokes” at the Governor’s Office over their approach to contract negotiations.  However, it is becoming clear that the Governor’s Office sees the wisdom of operating in a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect.  We will continue the negotiation process for our new contract and we hope further cooperation from the State is forthcoming.

In solidarity