Guild and Sun Benefit Proposals
Sick Leave, Health Care, and Pension--Making Life Better? Or Cutting Important Benefits?

Sick leave
Guild proposal: The Guild proposes that employees to be able to use sick leave to care for a dependent. According to a survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, 74 percent of employers allow use of sick leave to care for sick family members.

Sick leave would be earned and saved the same as now: Employees earn one day of sick leave for each 17 days worked --- about 15 days a year. (Part-timers earn at the same rate, but because they work fewer days, they accumulate fewer sick days a year.) Unused days accumulate, up to 110 days, or about 22 weeks. About 170 of us, of about 625 people in the bargaining unit, have this much saved up. The Guild also proposes that sick leave use and balances be recorded on the pay statement.

Management proposal: The Sun proposed a new way of dealing with sick leave. Employees would earn five days a year, with no carryover. Employees out more than five days in a year --- if it's a day or two here and there --- would not be paid for these absences unless they used their vacation time or other paid leave. (The Sun's bulletin neglected to point this out).

Beginning with the sixth day of a single absence, the employee would receive benefits from a short-term disability (STD) insurance policy, paid for by the company. The amount of time covered by short-term disability and the amount of payment would vary with length of employment. After one to four years, STD would cover six weeks at full pay and six weeks at half pay. From five to nine years, 13 weeks at full pay and 13 weeks at half pay. For a 10-year employee, it would provide full pay for 26 weeks (six months). Under the Sun's proposal, an employee with one three-week illness would be fully covered, but one with three one-week illnesses in a year would have one week paid and two weeks unpaid.

The company has not proposed any sick leave for part-timers.

Last Friday, Tim Fair, a Tribune legal counsel, made a presentation on the Sun's proposal. We had many questions about how this would work -- how the new plan would apply to maternity leave and what savings the Sun (or Tribune) expects from the switch, to name two. He said he would get back to us, but Fair, based in Chicago, did not attend Monday's session.

In the meantime, we want to hear from you --- particularly those who have had to use a lot of sick leave --- about how the proposals would affect you.

Health insurance
Guild proposal: Company would continue to select and offer health plans, with full-time employees paying 25% of the premium for whichever plan they select. Part-timers would also pay 25%, not the current 50%.

As premiums go up, we'd split the increase with Tribune, 25/75. Out-of-pocket costs --- deductibles, co-payments and co-insurance --- would be frozen at current levels. For example, if premiums, now $254 per month for family coverage in the most popular plan (Blue Cross PPO), went up 12 percent next year, employees would pay $284.48 next year.

Management proposal: The Sun would be able to raise the amount employees pay of premiums, up to 4 percentage points a year. Worst case scenario, under the Sun's proposed five-year contract, employees could be paying up to 45% of premium. In the example given above, if premiums rose 12%, and management exercised its right to raise the employee share of the premium by 4 percentage points, employees would pay $330 per month (compared to $254 currently and $284.48 under the Guild proposal). Pensions, 401(k), stock plans Guild proposal: Pension plan being studied by actuaries; proposal soon. No change proposed in 401(k). Guild-represented employees would be eligible for all stock options, stock grants and stock purchase plans on the same terms as other large groups of Tribune workers. (Not on the same terms as top executives --- have we mentioned CEO John Madigan got $4.5 million worth of options last year?)

Management proposal: The current Guild-Sun pension plan and the Sun's pension plan would be "frozen," with no further contributions. What's now in the plan is protected, and current members would receive benefits based on what's there. A new plan will be offered, but has not yet been described. Participation in Times-Mirror 401(k) plan would be ended; current balances could be moved to Tribune or other 401(k), but with no company match. Nothing offered on stock options, stock grants or stock purchase plans.

As the proposals get fleshed out --- both sides are scheduled to bring pension experts to the table the week of May 19 --- we'll keep you posted.

- Bill Salganik, for the Guild bargaining committee