Questions from the Trenches

For this installment of APA Questions From The Trenches, we asked APA President Maury Koffman to highlight the main questions raised by members in response to the communication around the January 2014 Lump Sum bonus payment.

What is the gross payment members will receive now that the University has violated our agreement and issued only partial payment in our January 2014 paycheck?

Members should have received a gross, lump sum payment of $1,042.43, subject to taxes, deductions, and any other garnishments.  Per the ratified contract, the $1,042.43 will be issued in full for 100% full-time equivalent (FTE) status employees and reduced on a proportional basis for part-time employees.  The balance would be issued in a similar manner to the outcome of the pending lawsuit.

 

What makes someone eligible for the payment?

To be eligible for the payment, the individual must have been actively employed in a union represented position and be MSU health care benefits eligible on January 1, 2014.  Even if a member invoked the health care waiver, s/he was still eligible for the lump sum payment if s/he met the identified criteria.  And, if both the individual and his/her spouse/OEI were eligible for the payment, both APA members should have received the payment.

How will the January 2014 payment be issued?

The payment was considered special pay and should have been included in the member’s January 2014 regular paycheck.

Now that a portion of the payment is in dispute, if I was eligible for the full payment as of January 1, 2014 but I subsequently leave MSU before the amount in dispute is settled through the courts, will I still receive the amount that was wrongfully withheld by the University?

Until the court hears the case and renders a decision, how we proceed is unknown.  Yet, if all terms of the contract remain as they are today, the requirements and eligibility would be the same and all employees who were active as of January 1, 2014 and MSU health care benefits eligible would receive the payment, even if they subsequently left MSU after the January 1 date.

I understand we were only issued partial payment in January 2014.  What was the full amount had the University complied with the mutually ratified Wage and Health Care Agreement?

Had the University proceeded with the legally binding agreement, the APA anticipated full payment to have been roughly $1,350 for 100% FTE bargaining unit members.

What are the steps from here?

In an effort to enforce our contract as ratified, the Michigan Education Association is providing full assistance to the APA and using all legal means necessary to ensure the Wage and Health Care Agreement is enforced as ratified by the APA membership and the University.  The court has not yet announced a hearing date.  The APA will continue to keep members informed of any substantive updates related to the payment.

 

Who should I call with my additional questions?

APA members should feel free to contact the APA office at 517.353.4898 or via email at [email protected] with any questions or concerns.