Guild members will decide whether to approve a possible switch to the Guardian dental plan or to stick with Empire Blue Cross. The vote will take place this Thursday from 11–1 pm and 5–6:30 pm in Executive Conference Room 2. The switch is contingent on all other unions in the building agreeing to the move.

Guardian has agreed not to place any kind of cap on how much coverage an employee can receive in a year, while not changing the rate it would offer. Originally the plan had proposed a cap of $2,500 for each family member.

For Guild members, the switch would save about $11 a year.

The insurance brokers from Rowlands & Barranca told union leaders last month that Guardian offers a broader network of dentists. If a dentist is not a member of the network, Guardian would still reimburse the provider directly whereas Blue Cross requires the employee to pay upfront and be reimbursed. The brokers also said Guardian offers a better discount.

The Guild’s leaders had encouraged members to talk to their own dentists’ office, ask about whether they accept Guardian and whether they think the coverage and cost to the patient is better or worse than Empire. If you have not already done so, we highly recommend you do before the vote.

Our own conversations have made clear some dentists accept Empire Blue Cross, others take Guardian, and the discounts are better for an in-network dentist but dentists outside the network still often take the insurance.

CLICK HERE for a list of participating dentists.

The company stressed it was offering it as an optional switch, not one they were seeking to require.

You can find information on Guardian at its website, www.glic.com. The plan we are being offered is the DentalGuard Preferred PPO.

When the company announced our legal settlement last month, its Executive Committee wrote “we believe that we acted in a lawful manner.” But a posting that went up Monday admits the truth: The company finally acknowledges it broke the law.

As part of the settlement, the company posted a notice on its Intranet and on bulletin boards in features, advertising, advertising art and in the cafeteria. (You can read the full text there and in a bulletin we will share with our members Tuesday. Throughout this process, we have tried to avoid putting the names of the 11 workers on our blog as much as we can, and we’d like to avoid doing so now too to protect their privacy.)

Here is what the final paragraph says: “WE WILL make [the 11 workers] whole consistent with a settlement reached by all parties for any loss of earnings and other benefits suffered as a result of our unlawful action against them.” (The emphasis is ours.)

The posting must remain up for 60 days. You can check it out for yourselves.

As for layoffs, we believe they are not necessary, as the staff has continued to be cut. The company must give notice and bargain buyouts first, and we believe there would be sufficient interest to make involuntary layoffs unnecessary.

And finally, the company has stated the returning workers put the company “over budgeted staffing levels.” One is returning to a features slot, where a colleague just retired and another is on maternity leave. There is one other reporter among four exempt editors. Clearly this reporter is very much needed and does not displace anyone.

The company has known since 2010 a hearing officer ordered the reinstatement of 11 employees. It has known since 2011 that its appeal was denied unanimously by the NLRB. The company has had sufficient time to budget and plan for this day.

Updated: The company now says the new dental insurance firm it has suggested, Guardian, has agreed not to cap coverage. We’re still looking into the proposal, and the Executive Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. next Thursday, July 12, to discuss it as well as other business including the impact of our returning colleagues. If you have input to offer on the dental coverage, please pass it along by next week’s meeting.

CLICK HERE for the list of Guardian covered Dentists in the Capital Region.

CLICK HERE for the full list.

The Company made a proposal Wednesday for a different health care provider to oversee dental care.

The dental coverage would be provided by Guardian, rather than Empire Blue Cross which has provided the coverage for more than 20 years. The estimated savings to members would be about $11 a year.

The offer was made to union leaders throughout the company, including Guild President Tim O’Brien and Vice President Lindsay LaFountain.

The insurance brokers from Rowlands & Barranca said that Guardian offers a broader network of dentists. If a dentist is not a member of the network, Guardian would still reimburse the provider directly whereas Blue Shield requires the employee to pay upfront and be reimbursed. The brokers also said Guardian offers a better discount.

O’Brien noted that the documents showed Guardian with an annual maximum of $2,500 whereas Blue Shield sets no limit on dental costs. The company said the cap was $2,500 for each member of a family, not $2,500 for a whole family. But the brokers said they had not yet been able to obtain information on how many, if any, workers would have reached the cap. The brokers said they believed they could get Guardian to drop the cap.

All the union leaders said that information was critical to making any decision, and the brokers said they would obtain and share that data. They also promised to get a list of participating dentists. O’Brien swiftly learned after the meeting his own dentist is not a participant and asked some additional questions as a result.

Guild members are encouraged to talk to their own dentists’ office, ask about whether they accept Guardian and whether they think the coverage and cost to the patient is better or worse than Empire. Please let your Guild leaders know what you think as we continue to review the proposal. The company stressed it was offering it as an optional switch, not one they were seeking to require.

You can find information on Guardian at its website, http://www.guardianlife.com/.

Join us at Maxie’s from 5 to 7 p.m. for appetizers and drinks. Guild officers will be there to answer questions about the recent agreement with Times Union workers who were illegally laid off and discuss where we go from here.

Free appetizers include: nachos, mozzarella sticks, potato skins, chicken wings and mac and cheese bites.

Guild members will also receive a ticket for a free drink.

Do you remember watching longtime colleagues as they were walked down to human resources and fearing it could happen to you too?
NOW IT CAN’T!

Final agreement on NLRB settlement means never again!

The final agreement to settle the National Labor Relations Board case was signed Tuesday. Three illegally laid off workers will return to their jobs in two weeks. All 11 will get financial settlements. The details are just as we said when the agreement in principle was reached. It took some time, because pension credits and health care costs had to be worked out, but we are glad to say it is finally done.

As part of the settlement, the company must sign and post a statement saying it will never, ever treat anyone that way again. It must bargain with the union in good faith over the criteria for layoffs done outside seniority.

Even if the company wishes to lay off by the last person hired, it must first negotiate a buyout with the Guild to save jobs.

This case is not just about the past. It is about your future.

But there is unfinished business…
The Hearst Corp. and its foundation
are very generous in the community.
With fewer people doing more work
for less pay, we deserve a raise!