Issue

Contract Change

Article 4- EOL

Reporting

PEF to report quarterly to GOER the elected leaders (from President to Stewards) and Committee appointees eligible to use EOL.

Cost

PEF to pay indirect cost for those on Union Leave

Convention Delegates

Reduced from 1000 to 950

EOL Days

Reduced from 415 to 400

EOL for contract committees

Reduced from 70 to 55

E-mail

Union access to electronic bulletin boards and e-mail

Grants union access to Electronic bulletin boards consistent with the limitations currently applicable to physical bulletin boards pursuant to a local l/m agreement

Grants union right to e-mail for labor/management purposes pursuant to a local l/m agreement

Allows for additional union access to be discussed in statewide labor/management committee.

Existing restrictions on the use of state computers and e-mail continue; PEF also agrees that it will not send mass e-mails to state accounts.

Article 7 - Compensation

Across the Boards

3% October 1999

3% April 2000

3.5% April 2001

3.5% April 2002

Applicable to all employees including Fire Instructors and Seasonals via side agreements

Lump Sum "signing" bonus

$500 for full-time employees (pro rata for less than full time). Payable 6/1/00 or as soon as practicable; Lump sum payment is pensionable.

Pension Enhancement

Governor agrees to support pension enhancement that will (for Tier 3 and Tier 4 retirees) eliminate the 3% employee contribution after 10 years of membership in the system; provide Tier 1 and Tier 2 employees one month of pension credit for each year of accumulated pension credit to a maximum of 24 months of extra service credit.

Increments

October payment date established so that increment is added to base salary on the April 1 or October 1 following completion of each year in title. Assures no employee (including institution teachers) will wait more than 18 months for their increment.

Inconvenience Pay

Increased from $400 to $500 retroactive to April 1999; guaranteed by contract.

Downstate Adjustment

$823 April 1999

$1000 April 2000

$1100 April 2001

$1200 April 2002

Subcommittee to review the expansion of downstate adjustment to Dutchess, Orange and Putnam Counties

Hazardous Duty Pay

Increased from $.43/hr to $.50/hr retroactive to April 1, 2000, guaranteed by contract language

Out of State Employees

PEF and GOER to seek legislation removing statutory language that prevented the application for geographic differentials for employees stationed out of state

Article 8 Travel

Motorcycle Mileage

Memorialize current practice to reimburse motorcycle use at the Federal rate

Personal Car Allowance

Additional 7 cents per mile for the transport of clients or residents

Pre-Tax Account

State and PEF to review feasibility of implementing a pre-tax deduction program for eligible transportation costs, parking expenses, and mass transit passes (e.g., TransitCheck)

Article 9 Health Insurance

Empire Plan (EP) Operational Changes

Pre-certification required for admission to skilled nursing facility (10/1/00)

Prospective Procedure Review applied regardless of setting (e.g., inpatient or outpatient)

(EP) Emergency Room Co-pay

Increase from $30 to $35 (1/1/02)

(EP) Outpatient Co-Pay

No change in amount; co-pay waived for pre-admission testing prior to inpatient admission

(EP) Physical Therapy Co-Pay

Office visit co-pay will apply regardless of setting (10/1/00) (hospital/outpatient or clinic)

(EP) Office Visit Co-pay

Increased from $8 to $10 (1/1/01)

Increased from $10 to $12 (1/1/03)

(EP) Routine Physicals

Benefit available to employees and spouses 50 years or older every year instead of every two years

(EP) Voluntary Centers of Excellence

Centers established for organ and tissue transplants (costs covered at all-inclusive rate) including transportation and lodging. (10/1/00)

Centers established for treatment of infertility (including transportation and lodging). Provides lifetime benefit per individual of $25,000; coverage extends to either partner in a couple

(EP) Newborn Allowance

Increased from $100 to $150 (10/1/00)

(EP) Hearing Aid Allowance

Was $600 every 4 years;

increased to:

$800 1/1/00 (retroactive)

$1,000 1/1/01

$1,200 1/1/02

(EP) Pediatric Immunizations

Influenza vaccine added to coverage

(EP) Home Care Advocacy Program

Non-network benefits reimbursed at 50% of network benefit

(EP) Nurse Call Hotline

Voluntary hotline available 24/7 effective 10/1/00

(EP) Voluntary Disease Management Program

Coordinate treatment for high-cost/chronic illnesses (10/1/00)

(EP) Adult Immunizations

Covered expense for Influenza, Pneumococcal, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella and Tetnus Toxoid. Inclusion of other immunizations, including Lyme Disease to be reviewed by JCHB

Flexible Spending Account

Available for qualified medical expenses 1/1/01

(EP) Point of Service Plan

Language Deleted from Agreement

Waiting Periods

Standardized at 56 days for medical, dental and vision benefits (currently 56 health, 28 days vision and 6 months dental)

Dependent Students

Coverage extended for three months following completion of qualified course of study (10/1/00) NOTE: This benefit is not retroactive

Military Activation

Continue coverage for dependents for up to 12 months with full waiver of premium(10/1/00)

Joint Committee on Health Benefits

Additional charges:

* Review Medical Flex Account

* Establish rules for new annual vision benefit for medically caused vision change

* Review Adult Immunizations

* Review issue of non-medically necessary days

* Oversight of Prospective Procedure review

* Review Centers for Excellence

*Review, with NYSHIP:

1. feasibility of health insurance buy-out
2. annual health plan "report card"
3. feasibility of statewide prescription drug program

* Review waiting periods for domestic partner program

* Explore development of program for alternative medicine network (at enrollee cost)

Prescription Drug Co-pay

From $8 brand/generic to

$5 (generic)/$15 brand (10/1/00)

Dental Benefits

Sealants for dependents under 14 (10/1/00)

Maximum benefit increased from $1,200 to $1,800 (1/1/01)

Anesthesia administered in a dentist office will be covered (10/1/00)

Vision Benefits

Dependents under 19 can receive vision benefits annually instead of every two years (10/1/00)

Program to be developed to allow adults with a vision loss from a medical condition to receive annual benefit (instead of every two years) including occupational glasses (10/1/00)

Employees allowed to purchase additional vision benefits at reduced prices (e.g, no line bifocals, progressive lenses, lens coating etc).

Article 11

Accidental Death Tuition Benefit

Expanded benefit to reimburse the equivalent of SUNY tuition for attending private college. Increase age limit for coverage of benefit to 25 subject to certain limitations

Article 12-Attendance and Leave

Floating Holidays

Can be used in 1/4 hour increments (previously full day only)

Retirement Health Insurance

Increase the number of days that can be used to purchase health insurance in retirement from 165 to 200.

Maintenance Of Time Records

Require all employees to record actual hours worked (this is new for overtime ineligible employees)

Sideletter acknowledging that electronic recognition systems can be used for operational reasons provided that they are not used for any time or attendance purpose.

PEF and GOER to meet during the last two years of the Agreement to discuss issues relating to the potential use of electronic recognition systems for the maintenance of time records.

Professional Leave

Clarify that use of leave for programs which are required to maintain licensure or accreditation is permitted

Telecommuting Agreement

Agreement continued and included in the Contract

Absence for Extraordinary Circumstances

Executive Labor/Management to discuss this state policy

Vacation use prior to separation

Contract implementation memo encouraging agencies to permit employees to use credits in excess of 30 days prior to separation

Sick Leave

Contract implementation memo to direct agencies to permit employees who have exhausted sick leave to charge other credits when sick leave otherwise would be approved

Leave Donation

Cross Agency Donation between family members permitted; parties to discuss expansion of cross agency donation during calendar year 2001.

Cross agency credits are the first to be used and are non-refundable to the donor.

Health Option Plan (HOP)

Employees may elect to reduce their sick leave accrual rate by three days in exchange for up to $300 per year to be used to offset the employee share of health insurance premiums. Program ends in December 2001, but if extended by the parties, the $300 will be increased by the across the board salary percentage increases.

VRWS program

Requirement of 26 consecutive payperiods of full-time service immediately prior to start of VRWS is eliminated. Employees must have one year of state service and work one payroll period prior to the start of VRWS.

Article 17 Out of Title Work

Notice

PEF to provide notice to the affected individual(s) and the appropriate bargaining unit(s) when the Union initiates an out of title grievance.

Sustained Step 2 Decisions

Forwarded directly to Classification and Compensation instead of to GOER.

Grievance Service Requirements

Made consistent with Article 34

Parties agree to examine administrative efficiencies in grievance process (e.g., revising the submission form)

Joint Committees

Funding provided for all four years. Overall increase of $1.25 million over the term of the Agreement

Article 21 --Employment Continuity Committee

Merged into the Article 22 committee

Article 22

Committee

Merged with former Article 21 committee; duties and functions consolidated

Preferential employment

Updated sideletter reflects agreements between PEF and GOER reached after the 1995 negotiations

Retirement Service Credit for severance benefit

Updated sideletter reflects agreements between PEF and GOER reached after the 1995 negotiations

Article 24

Meeting frequency

Biannual replaced with twice a year

Article 26

Pay Basis

Changed from 21 payperiod method to academic school year

Language added to preserve employee's choice to be paid over 10 or 12 months when a change in payroll status occurs

Sideletter on Institution Teachers

Corrects problem with sick leave accrual rate

Preserves the September 1 - June 30 school year

Commits to making sure institution teachers do not wait more than 18 months for increments

Article 27

Property Damage

Allows that claims of up to $350 can be paid in those cases where the damage was not caused by patient or client of the State( a current limitation) provided the employee is not found negligent.

Article 31

Standby On call

Amount increased from 15 to 20% (4/1/99)

Paid bi-weekly instead of quarterly

Article 38

Overtime Meal Allowance

Expands benefit to ALL employees regardless of eligibility for overtime; provides for multiple allowances based on number of hours worked

Article 42

Family Care Benefits

Replaces direct support for specific child care centers with direct contribution to employees Dependent Care Advantage Account. Amount is based on a sliding income scale and can be as much as $400 per year to be used for qualified expenses.

Nurses Committee

Establish new labor/management committee to examine nurses' issues

Arbitration

Process eliminated; parties agree to meet during the next six months to discuss redesign of a triage/expedited arbitration process

Roswell Park Cancer Institute

Merit Pay-(supplemental compensation for recruitment, retention, and performance)

Discretionary program to recruit and retain top level research scientists; Control of program given to CEO with appeal to peer panel then to RPCI finance committee

Nurse Shift Differential

$1.75/hour nights

$1.50/hour evenings

Workers' Compensation

Modify language to reflect RPCI's move from the State Insurance Fund to private insurance carrier for workers' compensation insurance. Article 13 benefits completely preserved.