Letter from the Officers about Healthcare if on strike

Dear Members,

In the event of a strike out health care benefits will be in effect until the end of that current month. If we went on strike on April 14 you would have coverage until April 30th.  If you or your dependents have necessary ongoing, chronic or emergency medical treatment, during the strike please contact Linda Burns at 216-635-4340. Local 4340 will assist you in submitting medical bills and cobra information to CWA National. The Robert Lilja Members Relief Fund director will be responsible on the handling of those bills.  Please review the following rules for Health Care Benefits during a strike. Please contact the union hall with any questions. Thank you.

 Health Care Benefits During Strikes shall be paid from the RLMRF

• The term “necessary” does not include any treatment not normally covered under the employer’s health plan, nor does it include any care such as elective procedures or dental visits that can be postponed until the end of the strike.

 • Whenever an employer stops healthcare coverage during a strike and the Local’s Community Services Committee decides that it is prudent to pay COBRA on behalf of the striker, then the COBRA form and necessary justification (doctor’s prognosis, medical bills etc.) must be attached to the disbursement voucher and available for inspection.

 • Strikers must still pay healthcare premium contributions as well as any deductibles and copays that existed before the strike. The concept being that no one should have a better benefit during a strike than that which was in effect before the strike.

 • It is the responsibility of the Local’s Community Services Committee to attempt to get the healthcare provider (doctor, dentist, hospital, etc.) to accept as full payment an amount less than that which was billed. A notation of this attempt must be made in that strikers’ record.

  • All bills submitted for payment must contain all the necessary information (name of patient, date of treatment and service rendered).

 • Strikers who can obtain health care coverage through other sources, such as a spouse’s health plan, should rely on those sources during the strike.

 In Solidarity,

Gary, Dave and Linda