Sixteen employees covered by the Guild applied for the buyouts offered by the Company.

The workers will learn Monday which ones the Times Union has approved. The individuals will then have 45 days to decide whether to accept the buyout offer or to stay. Once employees sign the paperwork,  they have seven days to change their minds and rescind the decision.

Some of the employees who applied for the buyout did so because they are on the bottom of the seniority scale, would prefer to stay but wanted the extra pay and/or health care if forced to go. Others applied to keep their options open while looking to see if they could find another job within the 45-day period. And many applied because they have already decided to take advantage of the extra pay and health-care coverage to leave voluntarily.

We expect there will also be some non-Guild employees who leave and whose departure will be counted toward the Company’s stated goal of reducing the staff by 10 to 15 employees.

We’ll share more details next week once we learn how many buyout offers the Company has made.

The annual discussion of health care costs for next year kicked off Thursday, with the Company proposing a move to MVP because it provided a less expensive rate than Empire Blue Cross.

f we stayed with Blue Cross, the weekly premium for most workers would rise from the current $58.90 a week to $64.44. Moving to MVP would cause a weekly increase of $4.04 to $62.94. The deductible would remain at $750. Dental would remain with Cigna, which also would become the provider if you needed health care outside the area.

Eight Guild members opted last year to take a new option the Company presented, and the Guild agreed to support as long as it was an option and not the main choice. Under that program, employees pay for the first $3,000 of medical expenses out of pocket for a lower weekly payroll deduction for individuals and couples.

Under that plan, the weekly cost would rise from the current $20.54 for singles to $23.93 and from $40.06 for couples to $46.66. (The rate for families would go from $59.58 to $69.40, more than the plan with a lower deductible so no families should take that plan.)

The Company also provided a side by side comparison of the current Blue Cross and MVP plans. You can see that document here.

The biggest difference is the out-of-pocket maximum. Under the current plan, the aggregate maximum is $3,425 for an individual and $6,850 for a family. Under the MVP plan, an individual faces an embedded maximum of $4,000 and the family embedded maximum is $8,000.

Here’s a handout from the Company explaining the difference between an embedded and an aggregate maximum.

(An earlier version of this post confused an embedded deductible and an embedded maximum. My apologies for the confusion.)

UPDATE: The Company offered this further description of the difference:

“The current out-of-pocket maximum with Empire BC’s plan is aggregate.  This means if someone is enrolled in family coverage, the entire $6,850 has to be met before the plan will pay 100%.  It doesn’t matter if one person hits the $6,850 on their own or if a combination of family members hit the $6,850 out-of-pocket maximum.  The MVP plan has an embedded out-of-pocket maximum.  Therefore, if 1 family member reaches $4,000 the plan pays 100% for that family member and the entire family would not pay more than $8,000 total.  With Empire any family member with claims would accumulate toward the $6,850 out-of-pocket maximum.  With MVP no one family member would ever pay more than $4,000 out-of-pocket.”

The only other substantive difference appears to be a $5 increase in the coinsurance after deductible for brand medications to $30. Generics would still have a $10 copay after deductible, and non-preferred brands would still carry a $50 co-pay after deductible.

The Guild is examining the differences to determine whether the two plans meet the test of being “comparable.” If they are not, a vote of the membership is required to approve the change. If they are comparable, then no vote is required.

Please let your Guild officers know what you think or what questions you have by contacting us directly or emailing us at office@albanyguild.org.

UPDATE: The Company is extending the deadline for buyout applications until Monday, October 31, to give more time for people to get answers to questions they have about their pensions.

The Company is offering an across-the-board buyout for employees after negotiating terms Tuesday with Guild leaders.

The offer is for two weeks for every year of service, with a minimum of 15 weeks and maximum of 62. Employees would get health insurance for the same period of time.

For employees in advertising, commissions would be calculated as part of the package based on a 52-week rolling average.

The Company would not challenge unemployment claims, but employees would have to answer questions honestly, disclosing they received a severance package.

The buyout offer was approved by members 45 to 1.

The Company said it is looking to cut staff buildingwide, not just in the Guild, by 10 to 15 people.

The deadline to apply would be Monday, October 24 31. The Company will decide which applications it accepts.

If an employee applies for a buyout, that does not require the person to take it. In fact, an employee can sign a buyout agreement and rescind it within seven days. Employees whose requests for buyouts are accepted would have to leave by year’s end or they could choose to do so sooner. The company said it would inform people if their request is accepted by November 1 8.

To be eligible to vote on the buyout offer, you must be a member in good standing.

Guild leaders also asked if requests for pension calculations could be accelerated for those considering taking a buyout.

The union was represented at the table by Tim O’Brien, Marianne Mahr, Mark Hempstead, Brian Nearing, Michael Huber and Cindy Schultz.

A fundraiser will be held from 2-8 p.m. Saturday, October 15, to raise money for a private family consultation room in Albany Medical Center’s cardiac diagnostic unit that will be dedicated to and named for Jim McGrath, the Times Union’s late chief editorial writer.

The event will be held at the home of Darryl McGrath at 6 Irving Street, Albany, NY. Suggested donation is $10.

Jim was a longtime member of the Guild. Even after being promoted to an exempt position, he continued to offer his support and encouragement. His wife Darryl McGrath noted at his memorial service that Jim often posted supportive messages on the Guild’s website under the name Exempt Brother.

Darryl explained that she got the idea for the consultation room based on her own experience learning that Jim had the heart condition that would later prove fatal.

“It came out of my own difficult experience of hearing that my husband had a form of heart failure while I stood, exhausted, in a busy hallway outside of the cardiac catheterization lab,” she said. “I gave a lot of thought to what could be done to memorialize Jim, and it seemed to me that this was an excellent way to both honor my husband’s long struggle with a cardiac condition, and to help the community.”

This will be a private space where families can hear a diagnosis in private, consult with a chaplain or social worker, meet with a doctor or make a phone call without the entire waiting room listening to a difficult conversation.

The Guild’s Executive Board has already decided to donate $100 in memory of our “Exempt Brother.”

We also encourage our members to attend the event at Darryl’s home. There will be a
string band from Pine Hills, and dancing, food and beer/wine. You can stop by any time from 2-8 p.m. Darryl McGrath asks people to RSVP by emailing her at darryllee@aol.com.

Guild members elected seven people to three-year terms on the Executive Board.

The vote comes as the local continues to gear up for reopening full contract bargaining.

All but one of those elected were incumbents. Jeff Boyer did not seek re-election, and he was replaced on the board by Jennifer Rodd of advertising. Welcome aboard, Jen!

Your Executive Board members are:
• Tim O’Brien of Editorial, President.
• Marianne Mahr of Advertising, Treasurer
• Mark Hempstead of Advertising Art, Secretary
• Brian Nearing of Editorial, Chief Steward
• Michael Huber of the Web Desk, 1st Vice President
• Cynthia Schultz of Editorial, 2nd Vice President
• Jennifer Rodd of Advertising, 3rd Vice President

The board thanks our members for their support. We look forward to continue to work with and for you as we prepare to return to the bargaining table.