ARTICLE 21 - Fringe Benefits
A. Fringe Benefits – Full-time Employees
1. Medical
The District shall continue to provide medical care insurance programs to Contract and Regular Full-time employees, and other employees who were covered as of September, 1981, in accordance with provisions of the City Charter.
1.1 The semi-monthly Charter-mandated District contribution effective July 1, 2011 is $251.97. Effective July 1, 2011, the District shall provide the following additional semi-monthly contribution for employee medical insurance premiums:
Member only Member + 1 Dependent Member + 2 or more Dependents Kaiser $0.64 $172.74 $225.32 All other plans $22.07 $221.59 $297.52 This additional contribution, combined with the District’s Charter-mandated contribution, is reflected in the following table of semi-monthly rates, effective July 1, 2011:
Total
PremiumDistrict Contribution Employee
CostKaiser Employee Only $252.61 $252.61 $0.00 Employee +1 $504.71 $424.71 $80.00 Employee +2/more $713.96 $477.29 $236.67 Blue Shield Employee Only $294.70 $274.04 $20.66 Employee +1 $588.91 $473.56 $115.35 Employee +2/more $833.09 $549.49 $283.60 City Plan Employee Only $555.44 $274.04 $281.40 Employee +1 $1,089.32 $473.56 $615.76 Employee +2/more $1,527.87 $549.49 $978.38
2. Drug/Dental / Orthodontia /Life Insurance
The District shall continue Drug, Dental (including orthodontia) and Life Insurance Programs to Contract and Regular Full-time employees, and other employees covered as of September, 1981.
2.1 Effective January 1, 1995, the face value of the Life Insurance Policy shall be $50,000.
2.2 The District shall, during the life of this Agreement, pay increased premiums for such coverage, if any.
2.3 Effective July 1, 1993, only employees and their eligible dependents with District-provided Health Service System health plans shall be eligible for the District-provided Drug Plan. Employees and their eligible dependents shall first obtain prescriptions through such plans. The District shall reimburse the employee or eligible dependent co-payment, if any. Employee dependents who are not participating in a District-provided Health Service System health plan shall not be eligible for benefits under the District-provided Drug Plan.
2.4 Effective January 1, 2008, the District shall provide, in accordance with carrier requirements, general dental and orthodontia coverage as follows:
General dental, per calendar year: $3,000
Orthodontia, lifetime: $2,000
B. Fringe Benefits – Part-Time Employees Medical and Dental /Orthodontia
1. Eligibility
1.1 Part-time employees who are beginning at least their third semester and who are assigned either twelve and one-half (12½) hours or more per week for a semester in the noncredit program or seven and one-half (7½) units or more per week for a semester in the credit program will be provided health and dental coverage as outlined in this section. For purposes of this section, employees must serve at least 75% of the service days required in a full semester within that assignment.
1.1.1 Effective Spring Semester 2002, part-time employees who (1) were eligible for and received coverage during the Spring Semester, and (2) are subsequently hired for the Fall Semester at a load making them eligible for benefits will be provided health and dental coverage for the Summer period.
1.1.2 In order to continue health benefits through the Summer period, the District will make additional deductions from employees’ paychecks in the months of May and June to cover applicable employee premiums during the Summer period, if any. Each year, in April, employees will be notified in writing of the applicable rates and asked to indicate any changes in health plan coverage made during the open enrollment period. Employees who fail to respond to the District will (1) have deductions made from their paychecks in the months of May and June based on health plan coverage information available to the district at that time and (2) be subject to further payroll adjustments as necessary in August or September.
1.1.3 Employees who are not hired for the subsequent Fall or Spring Semester at a load making them eligible for health and dental benefits shall have their benefits terminated. Benefits shall be terminated effective at the conclusion of the week before Fall or Spring Semester instruction commences. Effective Fall Semester 2009, the District will, in advance of the termination of benefits, notify the Union of any part-time unit member who it determines is no longer eligible for benefits and whose coverage is being terminated.
1.1.4 Effective Fall Semester 2000, part-time employees initially determined to be eligible for health and dental coverage for a semester under Section 1.1, above, subsequently shall not be determined to be ineligible for health and dental coverage under that section if they should suffer a reduction in assigned hours/units in the same semester due to class cancellation(s) because of low enrollment, provided they continue to be assigned for a minimum of five (5) hours per week in the noncredit program or a minimum of three (3) units per week in the credit program. For purposes of this section, employees must serve at least 75% of the service days required in a full semester within that assignment. The total expenditure for this benefit and transit/parking fees (Article 20) shall not exceed $50,000 in any year during the three-year period covered by this Agreement (a total allocation of $150,000 for the three-year period).
1.1.4.1 For Academic Year 2009-1010 in light of the fiscal crisis and course and schedule reductions prior to the beginning of the Fall and/or Spring semester(s), the District shall not deem part-time faculty ineligible for health and dental coverage provided they were (1) eligible for health and dental benefits in the prior semester, and (2) continue to be assigned for a minimum of five (5) hours per week in the noncredit program or a minimum of three (3) units per week in the credit program. The parties may reopen this provision of the agreement to discuss whether the provision should be continued beyond the 2009-2010 Academic Year.
Section 1.1.4.1 continues for Academic Year 2010-2011; provided, however, that no later than spring 2011, the appropriate Department Chair or Dean must certify that a part-timer retaining eligibility under this Section did not do so through a voluntary reduction in their assignment.
1.1.4.2 Effective Spring Semester 2001, part-time employees who are beginning at least their third semester and who receive assignments with effective dates that cause the employees’ load levels to vary during a semester shall be deemed eligible for health and dental coverage provided the employees, on average, work either twelve and one- half (12½) hours or more in the noncredit program or seven and one-half (7½) units or more in the credit program during the semester. For purposes of this section, employees must serve at least 75% of the service days required in a full semester within that assignment.
1.2 Part-time employees within the credit program whose teaching assignment within a department is limited to eight or nine hours per week and such hours do not equal at least seven and one-half units of credit due to laboratory or lab/lecture load differentials may apply for such coverage. Such applications shall be processed through the consultation procedure between District and Union on a case-by-case basis. Any exception granted shall be documented and provided to the Human Resources Department.
1.3 Any other exception that in the view of the Union is unjust or unfair to an individual because the assigned workload in credit or noncredit does not meet the eligibility criteria of this section, may be submitted by the Union on a case-by-case, semester-by-semester basis. Any coverage allowed as an exception in an individual case shall not be considered or construed as a precedent in any way or in any manner. The District decision on each case is not grievable or appealable under any process. Any exception granted shall be documented and provided to the Human Resources Department.
1.4 Effective Fall Semester 2004, part-time faculty members who give birth will remain eligible for District-paid medical and dental benefits for a maximum period of up to 12 weeks while caring for their newborn child, provided they were already enrolled for and receiving such benefits. The twelve-week period for the care of a newborn child shall not include the six week period of disability under Article 17, Section D, Paid Maternity Leave.
1.5 For purposes of this section, effective Academic Year 2006-2007, following a break in service of more than four consecutive semesters (a one-month grace period shall be given), an employee shall revert to third semester status provided he/she had attained at least that status prior to the break in service. Employees who do not revert to third semester status following a break in service must establish eligibility pursuant to Section 1.1, above.
2.1 Effective July 1, 1990, eligible employees will be provided, at District expense, as long as so employed, the Delta Dental Plan of California one-hundred percent (100%) Dental Insurance Program, including orthodontia, for employee and dependents, in accordance with carrier requirements.
2.2 The District shall, during the life of this Agreement, pay increased premiums for such coverage, if any.
3. Health Insurance
3.1 Eligible employees will be provided coverage as long as they remain eligible during the academic year. (See 21.B.1 et. seq.)
3.1.1 The semi-monthly Charter-mandated District contribution effective July 1, 2011 is $251.97. Effective July 1, 2011, the District shall provide the following additional semi-monthly contribution for employee medical insurance premiums:
Member only Member + 1 Dependent Member + 2 or more Dependents Kaiser $0.64 $172.74 $225.32 All other plans $22.07 $221.59 $297.52 This additional contribution, combined with the District’s Charter-mandated contribution, is reflected in the following table of semi-monthly rates, effective July 1, 2011:
Total
PremiumDistrict Contribution Employee
CostKaiser Employee Only $252.61 $252.61 $0.00 Employee +1 $504.71 $424.71 $80.00 Employee +2/more $713.96 $477.29 $236.67 Blue Shield Employee Only $294.70 $274.04 $20.66 Employee +1 $588.91 $473.56 $115.35 Employee +2/more $833.09 $549.49 $283.60 City Plan Employee Only $555.44 $274.04 $281.40 Employee +1 $1,089.32 $473.56 $615.76 Employee +2/more $1,527.87 $549.49 $978.38 3.2 Coverage shall commence on the first day of the pay period following the first payroll deduction.
3.3 Coverage shall cease on the last day of the pay period in which termination occurs.
A full-time or part-time unit member may, upon retirement, elect to continue dental insurance coverage in accordance with carrier requirements and State law, at his/her expense.
The Union shall be entitled to one (1) representative at all District insurance meetings considering drug, dental and life carriers, bids, specifications and selection, including selection and specifications for consultants for the above-mentioned insurance.
Effective Spring 2009, when school is in session, faculty shall have access to the pool within the Wellness Center on the Ocean campus during specified available hours. For Spring 2009, those hours will be from 11 AM to 1 PM Monday through Friday and from 5 PM to 6 PM Monday through Thursday. The parties will jointly publicize faculty pool access hours at the beginning of each semester. The parties shall review the utilization of the pool over the term of the Agreement and pledge to work cooperatively regarding setting of access hours and any protocol issues that may arise.
F. Retiree Health Benefits – During the term of this Agreement
1. The District will conduct further actuarial studies to identify the extent of its unfunded liability for retiree health benefits (GASB 45). Consistent with GASB, the parties will negotiate over means for addressing the unfunded liability stemming from retirees’ health costs.
2. The parties will explore potential options for part-time retirees to access retiree health benefits.
G. CalSTRS Contribution Increase
In consideration of the contributions made by the faculty bargaining unit to balancing the District budget in recent years, the District will consider any increase mandated by CalSTRS during the term of this Agreement as a challenge that will not be borne solely by the employees who are STRS members but instead as a cost to be addressed as part of the District’s overall plan for addressing its budget gap.
OPEIU248:3AFL-CIO