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Q: What are the different types of NESPA membership?
A: The NESPA Bargaining Unit includes all employees whose positions are covered by NESPA's contract with District 203. For purposes of Association membership, they can be divided into three groups: Grandfathered Members: Individuals who have been continuously employed in NESPA Bargaining Unit positions since before NESPA was formed and have never joined. Do not pay any dues. Benefits: Are entitled to representation in case of a job related problem, and of course they benefit from NESPA's negotiations with the District. Do not vote. Fair Share Members: Started employment after NESPA was formed. Pay full dues except for the $20 for political action. Benefits: Same as Grandfathered, plus NEA Educator's Employment Liability insurance. Do not vote. Full Members: Have the right to run and vote in all NESPA elections and on major actions, such as a strike or approval of a contract. Also receive NEA discounts, NEA Attorney Referral program (2 free 30-minute sessions in the areas of Wills & Estates, Real Estate, Domestic Relations, Consumer Protection, and/or Traffic Violations, and 30% discount on any further legal counsel), and many other NEA Member Benefits. Dependants are eligible for IEA and NESPA scholarships (see below). And, receive an invitation to the NESPA Holiday Party. All for only $20 a year more, about $1 per paycheck. It is the number of Full Members that the District considers when it gauges the strength of our union at negotiation time. As far they're concerned, if you're not a Full Member, you're not a member. Q: Are my union dues (or fair share payments) tax deductible? A: Yes, except for the $20 that goes to IPACE, the IEA's political arm. Look at your final paycheck stub for the calendar year to find the YTD amount of dues deducted. Fair share members should use this amount; full members must subtract $20 and use the result. Q: What happened to longevity pay? A: Under the current contract, as with the previous one, longevity pay rates are "frozen" at the rates they were at in the 1999-2000 school year. No one who was not already getting longevity before July 1, 2000 will receive it under this contract. Also, those who are receiving it will remain at the same rate they have had since 2000 and will not increase during this contract. Q: Why do we receive less pay for lunchroom duty than teachers do? A: During contract negotiations, the administration stated that this is based on the total cost to the employer:
Q: What happens to unused personal days? A: Personal days that an employee doesn't take convert to sick days at the end of the year, one sick day for each unused personal day. (There is a widespread rumor that if only one personal day is used, the other is lost; this is NOT TRUE!!!) Q: What happens to unused sick days? A: Unused sick days accumulate from year to year to a maximum of 260. By state law, up to one year's worth (240 days) may be granted as additional service credit with IMRF if you retire from a school district, and may be counted from more than one school district. The effective date of your IMRF pension must be within 60 days of your last day with the district. For more details, see the IMRF FAQ. If you leave the district without retiring and end up retiring from a non-school employer, your unused sick days are lost. (This information is taken from Section 5.1 of the 2007-2010 NESPA Contract and the IMRF web site. Parts of it are based on a new law effective August 11, 2009.) Q: Can I collect both Social Security and my IMRF pension when I retire? A: Yes, absolutely. (This is another popular FALSE rumor, probably stemming from the fact that teachers who pay into TRS do not pay into Social Security and will not collect it. This fact does not apply to IRMF.) Q: Why do our insurance premiums keep going up? Aren't we locked in at a fixed rate for the life of our contract? A: Actually, premiums did not go up this year. However, they usually will. We are locked into a fixed percentage of the premium, 30% for your first two years participating in insurance and 15% thereafter. When there is an increase, the Board and employee each pay their respective percentage of the increase. For 2008-09, premiums increased 4% (after also not increasing the year before), so the amount you paid increased 4% and the amount the Board paid increased 4%. If you are paying 15%, you are still paying 15%, but you are paying 15% of a total amount that is 4% higher than it was two years ago. For a table of the Employee and Board premiums, click here. Q: If I currently do not have insurance, how can I get it? Is there an open enrollment period each year? A: There is no "open enrollment" period each year. There are two ways one can enroll in the District health insurance plan. One is if you or a family member has a "life change" (having or adopting a baby, spouse loses a job through "no fault" (i.e., layoff), marriage or divorce, etc.) and you need to pick up health insurance. Another way is as a "late entrant". Late entrants may have restrictions on their coverage due to pre-existing conditions or other health issues and dental coverage is limited for late entrants. Any restrictions are determined along health insurance "industry" guidelines. There are no restrictions on people who sign up when hired or due to a life change -- just on late entrants (maybe). Further information on this can be obtained from Kathleen Barak in the Business Office, 630-420-6300 ext. 6325. Q: Can I continue to participate in the District's medical and dental insurance after I retire? How long do I have to have been employed to do so? Can my spouse buy in? What if I'm not at the minimum retirement age? A: Under the current NESPA Contract with Naperville School District 203, employees who elect to continue to participate in the District's medical insurance may do so for 5 years after retirement at the cost-split between NESPA and the District in effect for current employees. (Under the current Contract the Board pays 85% and employees pay 15% of the premium cost of District health insurance. If it changes in a future Contract, that would affect retirees, even if the change happens after they retire.) At the end of the 5-year period or when the retiree goes on Medicare, the District will provide assistance with conversion to a Medicare supplement program. Eligibility for this benefit is based on 8 years of participation in the insurance plan (not length of employment). Spouses cannot "buy in" at retirement, but may continue coverage if they have been covered on the employee's plan for 8 years. Under the Illinois Insurance Code, an IMRF employer (such as District 203) that offers health insurance to its active employees must allow an IMRF member who retires to continue on the employer's insurance. However, the Insurance Code does not require IMRF employers to pay any portion of the premium for members on continuation. Therefore, retirees may continue participation in the District's medical insurance program longer than 5 years, but after that period the retiree would pay 100% of the cost of District insurance. Dental insurance may be purchased by retiring employees who have participated for the last 8 years. However, the retiree will pay 100% of the premium cost for dental insurance. Dental insurance may only be retained for 5 years. Employees who voluntarily leave District 203 without reaching retirement age cannot continue their District insurance. (This information is taken from Section 6.10 of the 2007-2010 NESPA Contract and the IMRF Retirement Benefits booklet, 2006.) Q: The whole insurance plan is really confusing. Can you explain it? A: At this time, our best recommendation is to read the insurance documents provided by the District. If you do not have these, or if you still have questions, contact Kathleen Barak in the Business Office, 630-420-6300 ext. 6325. Q: How should one apply for a job posted on the District 203 website? A: It is suggested that current NESPA bargaining unit employees send an e-mail to the building Principal or the Administrator of the Department listed in the Job Posting. That e-mail should be a "letter of interest" in the particular position and indicate that you currently are employed in the District. When the Principal gets that expression of interest, they can then forward it to the appropriate person who may be doing the actual interviewing (asst. principal, LRC director, etc.). If you have an up-dated resume, it would be a good idea to ATTACH it to your e-mail. The NESPA Contract says that "applications will be accepted from personnel who feel they are qualified" and through Labor/Management Meetings with the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources we have encouraged that all employees who express an interest in a posted position be interviewed. That happens most of the time. The Contract also says that "Unsuccessful applicants shall be notified when a position is filled. If requested, an employee shall be granted a meeting with the appropriate supervisor to discuss the reasons for denial of a requested transfer, requested assignment or requested interview." If these procedures are NOT followed, please contact Cis Meyer or Heidi Ruppenthal. (This information is from Section 4.1 of the 2007-2010 NESPA Contract). Q: What are my rights if I think an administrator might want to discipline me? A: As a union member, you have the right to have a union representative present if an administrator calls you into a meeting that you think might result in disciplinary action against you. This is part of your Weingarten Rights 
and every employee should know them.
Q: What would happen if, at the end of the year, my school's prinicpal determined that I would not be needed for the next year? Would this have any effect on insurance? A: If you have a regular payroll job (i.e., do not have to fill out a timesheet), the District will move you to another building if you are no longer needed where you are. The only exceptions would be in the event of a "Reduction In Force" (which is done on a seniority basis) or dismissal for cause (misbehavior). Insurance will not be affected as long as you remain a District employee. Q: Why do special education assistants hired before 2000 have 2000 or later as their seniority date? A: Special ed assistants who were timesheeted became regular payroll employees and members of the NESPA bargaining unit during the 2000-2003 contract. At that time, they were given "salary credit" (steps on the salary schedule) for their timesheet years, but not "seniority credit" -- their seniority date is the first day of the school year in which they were hired on the regular (non-timesheet) payroll. Seniority only matters in the event of a Reduction In Force (layoffs), where the last hired are the first let go, so it is pretty much moot for the formerly timesheeted special ed assistants, as there are now several years' worth of people hired later than them. District seniority has nothing to do with IMRF pension service credit. Timesheet employees get IMRF benefits by state law if they work 600 hours per year. Q: Do you have to be a full member to apply for a scholarship? A: Yes! This is another of the benefits of MEMBERSHIP! Dependents of Fair-Share Fee Payers or "Grandfathered" bargaining unit members are not eligible to apply for either the IEA or NESPA scholarships. To apply for the IEA Scholarship, the parent/guardian must be a member and the dependent must be going into teaching. For the NESPA Scholarship, the parent/guardian must have been a full member for 2 years, and the dependent may be taking some post-secondary course (college, junior college or trade school). click here to ask it and we will follow up with you. (If you don't hear anything after about a week, contact the webmaster directly via District email to dstreeter.) |
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This page created on 1/30/2004. Last modified 11/12/2009.
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