The Benefits Sub-committee held its quarterly scheduled meeting with company representatives. The attendees from the company: Jeff Wall (Senior Director Labor Relations), Dixon McKinzie (Managing Director HR Tech. Ops.), Robin Curtis (Staff VP HR) and Mayu Hayashi (SR. Analyst HR). From the committee: Robert Clever, Gary Kagel, Nick Manicone (IBT Attorney), and Audrey Scates. Other participants: Tommy Esposito, Vinny Graziano, Steve Olsen and Norm Weintraub (IBT Consultant).
Committee members took the opportunity with this meeting to question the company on the issue of how the calculations are determined for the employee contribution percentage as it relates to health care costs. An item of great concern was to ensure that our members were not picking up the cost for any subsidy or reduced rate for employees not in our unit. For each example given by the committee we were assured by the company that the burden was not added to our benefit costs. The company suggested they would give us additional documents to verify their position and expect to have it in the next couple weeks.
The topic of active medical claims should they come in under or over budget how is the difference handled. Mrs. Curtis informed the committee that this amount over or under is not factored into the following years plan cost. Instead it has been the company’s position in the past to estimate the cost in favor of the employees.
Items seriously affecting the insurance industry today were discussed. The new health care reform especially requiring the employers to cover dependents to age 26 add an extremely high cost to the system. The fact that more people are laid off keeping COBRA benefits longer is another. Of course the last one really hits home. We are all not getting any younger and the claims tend to go up.
A couple of suggestions were made regarding the Benefits Resources site in My Coair. We ask that beneficiary information be included in reference to the CARP plan. Also it was requested that the company establish the social security estimate and information to the employees’ current status instead of age 65. It was greed to look at both.
Information was asked of the company to try and calculate the benefit percentage the committee could apply to CARP. With the variables involved such as market/fund condition, individual employee statistics etc… it was not a possible request. The latest form 5500 will be sent to the committee to review the plan funding status and other pertinent information.
In closing, we asked that the company meet with the committee on July 26th to review the costing of next year’s Benefits. In addition the numerous documents required for this review were requested of the company. We as a committee will also take the opportunity at the next meeting to be introduced to the benefits and related personnel of the combined company.
Robert Clever, Gary Kagel, Audrey Scates, Vincent Graziano
Benefits Sub-committee
Nick Manicone
IBT Legal