Union Issues, Events & Benefits
- CITY OF NEW YORK PRESCRIPTION DRUG PROGRAM ENHANCEMENTS
- KEVIN KANE GOLF OUTING
- ATTENDING THE DELEGATE SEMINAR?
- CAESAR'S POCONO RESORTS OFFERS DISCOUNT MEMBERSHIP CARDS
- *NO CHANGE WITH SCHOOL TRAINED CHAUFFEURS*
- JOB RESPONSIBILITIES IF NOT CFR-D TRAINED
Effective march 1, 1999 your GHI-CBP benefit will include all asthma-related medications and an enhancement to the chemotherapy program for anti-nauseants and adjunctive therapies. examples of anti-nauseants include kylril, compazine, and phenagan suppositories. examples of adjunctive therapies include epogen, neupogen and leukine.
In order to access this benefit, it may be necessary to obtain new prescriptions from your physician in order to receive those medications through the ghi prescription drug program.
1. present your green and white ghi city of new york employee benefits program medical card at your local participating telepaid pharmacy, along with your chemotherapy or asthma prescriptions. remind the pharmacist that this drug benefit is administered by paid prescriptions. your certificate number is used to verify your eligibility.
2. your chemotherapy or asthma claims will be automatically submitted by the participating pharmacy. there are no copayments, deductibles, or claim forms for you to fill out.
3. if you use a non-participating pharmacy, you will be required to pay the full amount of your prescriptions and submit a paid claim form for reimbursement. you may obtain claim forms by calling 1-877-444 2679. please note that the pharmacist must complete the claim form, as paid prescriptions does not accept receipts. your reimbursement will be limited to the amount your plan would have paid had you used a participating pharmacy, subject to plan parameters.
4. In order to access the Mail Service Pharmacy, you must obtain a new prescription from your physician. To obtain Mail Service envelopes, please call 1-877-444-2679.
Please note: At a participating pharmacy, you can receive up to a 30-day supply, plus authorized refills. There are no copayments, deductibles, or claim forms to complete.
If you have questions about your prescription drug benefits under the GHI plan, or to locate a participating pharmacy, please call PAID Prescriptions at 1-877-444-2679, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Back to Top
KEVIN KANE GOLF OUTING
On May 6th, at 0800 hours, the 8th annual outing will be held at Dyker Golf Course in Bay Ridge. Open to the first 156 paid in full members - deadline April 6th. Make your tax deductible check payable to the Kevin Kane Memorial Fund, as all proceeds go to the charity. The $95 fee per person includes shirt, balls, tees, BBQ, beer and soda. Contest prizes and raffles. Also $100 hole sponsorships. For info, call Chris Gunn, Jim Lang, or Vic Ruzicka at (718) 965-8207.
ATTENDING THE DELEGATE SEMINAR?
If you are a delegate attending this year's seminar, there is no release time. We are entitled to one release time meeting request per calendar month. When there is more than one meeting which qualifies for delegate excusal time in a given month, the delegate may utilize his/her rights given under Article 20 (page 26) of the UFA Collective Bargaining Agreement. The applicable sentence reads as follows;
“A mutual made by a delegate to enable the delegate to attend a Union meeting shall be considered a variance and shall be exempt from the then-existing mutual policy.â€
The April Delegate Educational Seminar qualifies as a union meeting and excusal time is already being granted for the April 8th membership meeting.
PS: Reminder that only one member per company may attend the Delegate Seminar.
CAESAR'S POCONO RESORTS OFFERS DISCOUNT MEMBERSHIP CARDS
The UFA has been supplied with 1999 Getaway Club Discount Membership Cards which are valid for: Cove Haven; Paradise Stream; Pocono Palace; and Brookdale. Save 10% on weekends and 20% on weekday plans. Getaway vacation, family, and honeymoon packages available. For free brochures call 1-800-862-9323. For your membership cards, call the UFA office (212) 683-4832 and ask for Tama at extension 5937 (leave message on voice mail if necessary. Cards will expire in March, 2000.
Back to Top
* NO CHANGE WITH SCHOOL TRAINED CHAUFFEURS *
As usual, there is a small minority of field personnel who are misinterpreting a “Company Trained Chauffeurs†memo which was sent out by Operations. There is absolutely NO CHANGE IN THE CURRENT POLICY of school trained vs. company qualified. This memo does not direct any change in AUC 254 - it simply reinforces the fact that company commanders have enough school trained chauffeurs within their unit and that they properly company train members BEFORE sending them to chauffeur school. The company commander must maintain an adequate list of company qualified chauffeurs to draw upon when the need arises to fill vacancies. AUC 254 states that a minimum of 5 hours driver training is to be provided before a member is deemed “proficient in driving and operating the apparatus†and labeled company qualified.
This memo was sent out because chauffeur candidates are reporting to the Division of Training without even having ANY time spent behind the wheel of an apparatus. A member must have initial training and familiarization at the company level before reporting to school.
We understand some misinformation was also passed along at least one recent division conference. Company Qualified chauffeurs do not start a tour!
As per the AUC, school trained members shall still be used for the start of every tour and to fill a need during a given tour. Because details and overtime are distributed division-wide, instead of battalion-wide, there must not be any school trained chauffeur available in the entire division before any level commander has the authority to utilize a company qualified chauffeur. I expect that this scenario will never exist. If you have a dispute in progress on this issue of driving the apparatus, beep your borough trustee (or trustee on duty) as an emergency and the UFA will intercede to correct the situation. Do not allow it to happen first, while notifying us after the fact.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES IF NOT CFR-D TRAINED
If you are a member working in an engine, squad or ladder company for the tour and you are not CFR-D trained (or certification has expired) - you are not given the assignment of being a “PRIMARY CARE†giver. You are not to be the hands-on health care provider. Do not attempt to perform specific medical treatment that is learned (or since expired) through CFR-D training and certification. Non certified members must otherwise assist in performing the traditional non-specific duties of a company at the scene.
Back to Top
Fraternally,
WILLIAM F. MIRRO
Recording Secretary,
KEVIN E. GALLAGHER
President
