Within the first six (6) months of this MOU and contingent upon the agreement of the majority of the major County labor groups to participate the County and Council shall form a Retiree Health Coverage Committee to review Sections 16.5-16.10 of the MOU related to sick leave conversion upon retirement for health coverage/contributions to premiums and identify alternative or supplemental retiree medical options, including potential variations on the current program. Within thirty (30) calendar days of the formation of the Retiree Health Coverage Committee, the parties shall schedule committee meetings. The parties agree to review the current terms of the MOU and develop alternatives for consideration. Alternatives identified should include information (as applicable) on potential outside vendors, a timeline for implementation, identified opportunities and challenges with the alternative, and the funding methodology.
A Retirement Health Saving Program (RHSP) will be evaluated for its feasibility as one of the alternatives for the committee to review. RHSP programs that permit both employer and employee contributions along with options for leave conversions will be requested and reviewed by the committee. Should an alternative allow for the replacement of the existing sick leave conversion process and elimination of the additional sick leave credit in Section 18.6, those options will be evaluated for inclusion in an alternative contemplated by the committee.
To the extent that an evaluation on the impact to the County’s OPEB liability can be identified for any alternatives identified, the committee will provide this information or identify a proposal for obtaining this data.
In addition to the alternatives identified, if necessary, the committee should suggest a transition process for active employees (at the time a transition is made) from the current sick leave conversion program, to be reviewed in conjunction with any alternative identified by the committee.
Upon the County’s approval of a replacement and/or supplemental benefit for the PDA bargaining unit, the Additional Sick Leave benefit described in Section 16.9 of this MOU will be eliminated, unless otherwise mutually agreed by the parties.
Although the County’s goal is to create consistent benefits across all labor groups, we recognize that not all labor groups will agree on one resolution.
The Retiree Health Coverage Committee will consist of up to two (2) representatives from AFSCME, up to two (2) representatives from SEIU and one (1) representative from every other union/association in the County. The County may designate representatives to serve on the committee at its discretion.