This is a continuation from part three of this interview
M: Well, even if that was the case, even if someone stayed an extra two years because they had heard this rumor, then they go to HR at the tenth year and say, “You know, I stayed for the health insurance.” They are going to be straightened out at that point. But it just doesn’t work that way. I think everybody is aware. Somebody in each work place I think is aware enough that somebody would tell them. And, it doesn’t seem to work that way. Let me just put it that way. And you know, maybe I’m wrong, maybe there is one person that stayed on for eight years versus ten, stayed an extra two years to get the health insurance if…
D: How many city employees are there?
M: You have to be 55 years old to retire, so you know if you retire with ten years and you’re 55 years old; you know if you stay for the extra two years, maybe it is worth it for you to stay the extra two years and take the retirement, even though it’s a tiny bit of money, because you get the health insurance and then you can go get another job. So if they did that, I don’t think they lost, I think they gained, you know.
D: I’m just using that. How many city employees…?
M: I think there are about 800 active employees, so you know, I mean there’s lots of different ways people get information. Anybody who’s making a decision about their continued tenure is talking to our HR or our Retirement Board, and I think they’re getting the right information. There’s lots and lots and lots of city policies that we put out for notice, [and they] are on the HR web site, there’s lots of different places that the policies are so…
D: So is there a reason why you couldn’t instruct the human resources director to mail the policy to all city employees?
M: Because we haven’t done that with any other policy. We have a lot of policies. We don’t tend to mail them to everybody. We don’t have a employee handbook that every single person gets. We just don’t; it’s not our practice.
D: So there’s no, there’s no handbook someone one gets when they’re hired?
M: There’s no, with every single city policy, no…
D: Well I’m just trying to establish the policies that are…
M: We don’t mail any type of policy changes is what I’m saying. We don’t mail it out to every single city employee. We notify them through various avenues. And then, you know, almost every city employee is in the union so most of the unions also know about changes. I don’t know what your experience is in other work places, but people here talk to each other about changes like that, I don’t know if you’ve had other experiences where people don’t…
D: All I’m trying to establish is what would be a reasonable effort on behalf of the city’s executive office to ensure that all the employees were duly notified.
M: But I think that at the point that they need to make a decision about this they will be duly notified because they are going to go talk to HR, they are going to talk to the Retirement Board, any new employee is told about what the benefits are, benefits change; we send out information about benefit changes all the time so if the health insurance co pays change, we talk to people about it.
D: But I don’t see mailing current employees a copy of the policy, or as you indicated previously, you thought that they were issued the policy with their paycheck stub I believe…
M: Well, you know what, I was wrong about that and I…
D: Glenda said that’s not what happened. That would be a very cost effective way to…
M: Yes, but they already got notice through the retirement board newsletter that there is a change that would effect them through retirement and they should go talk to HR. So everybody got that. And you know people come and go so, in order to keep every current employee noticed of everything we would basically have to send out every policy every month, and we don’t do that.
D: Right.
M: So the Retirement Board sent out something, we notice people through the work place, we are noticing, letting people know when they come in to ask questions about retirement or termination and when somebody comes in to talk about Cobra-ing their benefits and they are vested, and the HR Department is telling them, “You know you can’t come back and get retirement health insurance” that’s all being done. So, the Retirement Board, in addition, is going to be sending out this year’s newsletter and will notice them again saying, “Don’t forget if you’re planning on retire, if you’re planning on leaving.”
D: You mentioned sound business practices as justification for this policy change; have you ever considered an annual mailing to city employees that would cover the various…
M: That would be an expensive thing.
D: And that would be expensive because of the postage, the mailing, the copying…
M: I don’t think…
D: Most businesses do that I believe.
M: I never worked in a business that did an annual mailing around personnel…
D: Well I believe when they have personnel policy changes they do.
M: Not any place I…
D: Not an annual mailing but they mail, because I know we receive them personally…
M: You get them from…
D: From my wife’s employer.
M: Well, it may be a large employer who has multi-site geographically dispersed people…
D: Well, when you’re talking about sound business practices that’s communication…
M: I think we’re communicating this…
D: Yes, that’s right.
M: You and I disagree about whether or not we’ve done a good job on communication. That’s the bottom line here. I think we have, so…
D: Yes, and that’s all I have, I guess, and we could go back and forth…
M: And I don’t think we need to, so.
D: No. Those things would be helpful, the letter sent and the legal opinion.
M: Yes, very good.
D: Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day.
M: Sure. Thanks very much.
END OF INTERVIEW
