JULIE Contract Changes - Meetings and In-Person Voting

September 23, 2022 - Earlier this week, IBEW Local Union 21 announced a new tentative agreement was reached with JULIE. This update contains information on contract presentation meetings, in-person voting, and changes made to the agreement.

Contract Presentation and In-Person Voting

IBEW 21 JULIE members in good standing will have the opportunity to attend a contract presentation meeting and then vote in person on the tentative agreement.  You must bring your IBEW 21 Union Card to vote.

Wednesday, September 28th – 7:00 pm
Elks Lodge
250 SE Frontage Rd,
Joliet, IL

A meeting will be held at noon at the JULIE office for members who are working and cannot attend 7:00 pm meeting at the Elks Club.

Wednesday, September 28th – Noon
JULIE, Inc. Office
3275 Executive Drive
Joliet, IL

JULIE, Inc. and IBEW 21 Tentative Agreement Summary

Article 1 - Representation and Recognition -  No Changes.
Article 2 – Union-Company Relationship - No Changes.
Article 3 – Non-Discrimination - No Changes.
Article 4 – Union Security - No Changes.
Article 5 – Payroll Deduction of Union Dues - No Changes.
Article 6 – Promotions and Temporary Assignments - No Changes.

Article 7 – Service and Seniority

Section 1. New language added to clarify how Seniority is determined when net credited service dates are equal.

New language:

Where two or more employees have the same net credited service, the employee with the highest typing assessment score shall be considered the most senior.  When typing assessment scores are the same the person with the lowest last four digits of their Social Security number shall be considered most senior.

Section 5. New language added for Peak Service Bridging rules.

New Language:

For former peak-time employees granted re-employment as regular or part-time employees within 12 months of their termination, bridging of all previous cumulative peak-time service worked in consecutive past years with the Company will be immediate.

Article 8 - Layoff and Recall

Section 2. New language added to allow delay in layoff dates based on special circumstances.

New language:

After layoff dates have been announced, based upon unexpected increases in call volume or unanticipated permanent or temporary decreases in work force availability, the Company may delay the start of any layoff round for some or all employees, determined by reverse seniority, by seven calendar days.  The Company must provide notice of the delay by the Wednesday before the date of the planned layoff round. Employees with a financial investment or obligation that requires them to be off by the initially agreed upon layoff date, will not have that date altered.

Any employee returning from leave after the conclusion of all layoff rounds in a given year will not be eligible for layoff in that layoff season.

Article 9 – Military Service Leave - No Changes.
Article 10 – Union Leave of Absence - No Changes.
Article 11 – Weekly Work Tours - No Changes.
 

Article 12 – Differentials

Section 1. Change to increase differential for Saturday shifts.

New language in bold:

In addition to any other applicable shift differential, a differential of two dollars and fifty cents ($2.50) per hour shall be paid for all Saturday shifts.

Section 3. Change to increase “Floor Person” differential.

New language in bold:

Workers assigned the duties of “Floor Person” in the Chief Operator classification shall be paid an additional one dollar and seventy-five cents ($1.75) per hour.

Article 13 – Overtime - No Changes
Article 14 – Holidays - No Changes.
Article 15 – Safety - No Changes.
Article 16 – Contracting Out/Technological Change - No Changes.

Article 17 – Vacations

Section 1. Change to increase vacation schedule for “30 and over” by 1 additional day. Also, additional 1 week of vacation for Part-time employees with 5 years of service.

New language in Vacation Schedule:
30 and over 27 days

New language Part-time:
Additionally, Part-time employees will be granted fifteen (15) days of vacation per year, after completion of five (5) years of service.

Article 18 – Funeral Pay

Section 1. Added categories of great-grandchild, child of legal guardian, and legal guardian.

New language in bold:

Three (3) working days with basic wage will be paid to all employees for the death of the employee’s spouse, children, child of legal guardian, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, mother, father, legal guardian, step-mother, step-father, sister, brother, step-sister, step-brother, mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, grandparent, step-grandparent or spouse’s grandparent.

Article 19 – Jury Duty - No Changes.
Article 20 – Leave of Absence - No Changes.

Article 21 – Wages

Section 2. Increase in pay for temporary upgrade to higher job classification.

New language in bold:

When a qualified employee is temporarily assigned to and works in a job classification, which is higher than his/her regular job classification, s/he shall be paid one dollar and seventy-five ($1.75) per hour above their top rate of pay.

Section 3. Increase in pay for temporary upgrade to management job classification.

New language in bold:

When a qualified employee is temporarily assigned to and works in a management job classification, s/he shall be paid for that day at his/her top rate plus twenty dollars ($20.00) per day.

Article 22 – Stewards - No Changes.

Article 23 – Grievance Procedure

Section 2. Step 2. Added language to clarify titles involved in grievance step.

New language in bold:

 …The Step 2 meeting will be with the Company’s Executive Director or their designated representative, and the Business Representative or their designated Union representative. Such meeting will be held at a mutually convenient time, but not later than fifteen (15) calendar days after the Company’s receipt of the Union’s request for such meeting…

Section 2. Step 3. Added language to clarity titles involved in grievance step and meeting scheduling time limit.

New language in bold:

…The Step 3 meeting will be with the Company’s Board President or a designated representative, and the Union President or their designated Union representative. This meeting will be held at a mutually convenient time, but not later than fifteen (15) calendar days after the Company’s receipt of the Union’s request for such meeting. The Company shall give its decision in writing at Step 3 within ten (10) calendar days of the Step 3 meeting, unless such time is extended by mutual agreement…

Article 25 – Treatment of Time Not Worked - No Changes.

Article 26 – Terms of Agreement

Section 1. & Section 2. Date changes to denote a five (5) year contract through November 15, 2027.

New language in bold:

Section 1. This Agreement shall take effect on November 16, 2022 and shall remain in full force and effect until and including November 15, 2027 and from year to year thereafter unless written notice is given by either party to the other on or before forty (40) working days prior to the expiration date thereof or expiration date of any renewal to amend or terminate this Agreement.

Section 2. The parties agree to commence negotiations on any proposed amendments not less than twenty-five (25) working days prior to November 15, 2027 and further agree that if said negotiations are not completed by the expiration of the current Agreement or the date of the re-opener provisions, then the Terms of the Agreement shall automatically be extended so long as negotiations are in progress.

Exhibit A – Salary Schedule

Peak-time employee base wage rate will be the starting Call Center Operator wage rate in that given year.

Exhibit B – Paid Time Off

More flexibility for how PTO can be used and also a limit on Carryover to vacation time.

New language in bold:

Regular employees who have completed their probationary period will receive eighty (80) hours of paid time off that may be used in each calendar year in increments of forty-eight (48) hours in eight (8) hour increments; and thirty-two (32) hours in half-hour (1/2) increments.

Part-time employees will be treated in accordance with Exhibit F.

Regular and part-time employees who volunteer or who are forced on layoff, upon their return in the new calendar year, will have their paid time off prorated based upon their return date in that new calendar year.  An employee's paid time off allotment will be reduced by 1.5 hours for each full week that the employee is on layoff.  This proration rule will not apply to the beginning of the layoff period each fall.

Up to fifty-six (56) paid time off hours can be paid at the base rate of the year PTO was originally granted or carried over to the following year and applied to the employee’s vacation to be used before December 31^st of the applied-to year. Carryover of time to vacation in the following year must be done in 4 hour increments.  Any remaining balance will be paid out at the base rate of the year PTO was originally granted.

In a given calendar year upon leaving the employ of the Company, the employee shall be paid for any unused paid time off per the following schedule:

Less than two months of active service in that calendar year = 0 hours

Two months-four months of active service in that calendar year = up to 40 hours (part-time pro-rated up to 50% of determined allotment). 

Four months or more of active service in that calendar year = up to 80 hours (part-time pro-rated up to 100% of determined allotment).

Any employee who is paid for PTO that exceeds this schedule shall have it reversed in their final pay check.

This schedule will not apply to employees with eight years or more of net credited service.

Exhibit C – Benefit Plans - No Changes.

Exhibit D – Life Insurance

Added language to clarify retiree life insurance eligibility rules. No change in rules or intent.

New language in bold: As of November 16, 2012, an eligible retiree is one who is 60 years-old or older; was continuously employed by JULIE, Inc. for five years prior to retirement and whose age in years plus total length of service in years with JULIE, Inc. equals or exceeds 85; and who is not eligible for life insurance benefits as an active Employee of any other organization…

Exhibit E – Retiree Health Reimbursement Account (HRA)

New benefit for eligible retirees to help cover health care costs after retirement.

New language:

All eligible retirees are covered by a health reimbursement account provided by the Company. 

As of November 16, 2022, an eligible retiree is one who was continuously employed by JULIE, Inc. for 15 years prior to retirement.  A person is eligible for HRA coverage from the first day of the month following separation of employment from the Company.  Eligible retirees must be in good standing with the Company upon their separation.  Employees terminated for just cause will not be eligible to participant in the Retiree HRA program. Retirees are eligible no earlier than on the first day of the month following their 60^th birthday and no later than six months following their social security full retirement age (FRA).  The full retirement age limit will not apply until August 28, 2023. Retirees that are enrolled in JULIE health insurance under COBRA are not eligible to participate in the program.

Exhibit F – Pro-ration of Part-time Benefits - No Changes.

Exhibit G – Vacation Selection Process

No Change to current language, but discussion and agreement on details to be included in grid displaying available time slots that is posted for employees.

Exhibit H – IBEW Savings and Security Plan

Increase in Company Match to Employee Contributions dollar for dollar on first 6% of wages contributed by the employee.

New language in bold:

Section 2.

Effective January 1, 2023, the Company shall match one-hundred percent (100%) of

employee contributions up to a maximum of six percent (6%) of the employee’s gross

monthly wage, not including overtime.

Exhibit I – Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) - No Changes.

Exhibit J – Work at Home

Eligibility: Expanded geographic area. Updated internet service requirements language. Extended Temporary Work at Home for the 25 employees currently working from home through life of the agreement. Added authenticator app requirement for upcoming system security updates.

Terms and conditions: Removed language limiting promotions in #5. Removed language limiting shifts available to bid (#6). Improved language for WAH to report to the office in #7.

New language in bold:

Eligibility:

1. The Work at Home Program will be available in the future to all full-time Call Center Operator volunteers who reside in Will, Kankakee, Grundy, Kendall, LaSalle (east of Illinois Route 23), Cook (south of the Calumet – Saganashkee Channel and west of Halsted Street) or DeKalb, Kane and DuPage (south of I-88) counties with an exchange office that provides a high speed internet service that meets the Company’s acceptable bandwidth and latency standards. Any Employee, outside of, but within reasonable proximity to, the outlined geographic area described above, may work from home upon mutual agreement between the Company and the Union.  All employees at the time of ratification of the November 2007 contract who live in Cook County will be grandfathered for work at home.

 All employees as of September 2022 that have been temporarily working at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be allowed to remain at home until November 15, 2027.  Any part-time employee, employed during 2022, that is promoted to full-time status during the term of this agreement will also be offered the opportunity to temporarily work from home until November 15, 2027.  Those employees who have worked a hybrid schedule at home and at the JULIE facility will continue that schedule. Any Employee, outside of, but within reasonable proximity to, the outlined geographic area described above, may work from home upon mutual agreement between the Company and the Union.

 All of these temporary Work at Home employees, any permanent Work at Home and any future Work at Home employees that relocate must provide their own internet connection to be utilized, in part, for their work at home location.

No Changes to Eligibility items 2 through 4.

5. The operator must provide an environmentally and ergonomically correct work location within their residence. Where rental property is the prime residence for the operator, the operator will provide the Company with a letter from the building owner or landlord that will allow JULIE, Inc. to install the necessary components used for business operations.

6.  The operator must provide a device capable of using an authenticator app or receiving messages via SMS for MFA 2-factor authentication.

Terms and Conditions:

No Changes to language in items 1 through 4.

5. A Work at Home assignment is not considered a promotion but merely a change to a Call Center Operator’s normal daily reporting site.

6. Language removed completely.

7. Employees working at home may be requested to report to the main office from time to time.

No Changes to the rest of the language in Exhibit J.

Remote Ticket Entry Addendum

Increased total verified RTE tickets to 40% for the life of the agreement.

New language in bold:

The Company acknowledges the Union’s concerns relating to remote ticket entry (RTE) verification work performed by the Union. The Company intends to having at least 40% of all remote ticket entry (RTE) locate requests verified for the life of this agreement, measured quarterly.