AUPE Government of Alberta retirees to be eligible for new group benefits plan
EDMONTON – In an important development stemming from the last round of collective bargaining between the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees and the Government of Alberta, current and future retirees from the Alberta Public Service will now be eligible to enroll in a health benefits program
“This is a significant development for our members and retired members, and AUPE staff members have worked together with the employer to make it a reality,” said AUPE Executive Secretary-Treasurer Bill Dechant.
“The Alberta Public Service Retiree Health and Wellness Benefits Program will be available to retired direct employees of the government of Alberta,” Dechant said. “It is AUPE’s goal over time to see health benefits provided to retirees from all of this union’s bargaining units.”
“The discussions that led to today’s announcement illustrate the effectiveness of the collective bargaining process as a tool to improve the lives of working people and the positive relationship that continues to exist between AUPE and this employer,” Dechant said.
The program went into effect April 1, said AUPE Director of Labour Relations Carl Soderstrom.
Soderstrom said the plan includes extended health care with an out-of-province/Canada emergency travel option, dental care, long-term care and life insurance plans for retirees, their spouses or partners, and dependent children.
It is important for current retirees to act quickly to enroll in the health benefits plan, Soderstrom cautioned, explaining that current retirees have until July 31, 2008, to enrol without the need to provide medical evidence of insurability for the extended health and emergency travel plans.
Soderstrom said that in order to participate in the plan, three criteria must be met:
- Participants must have retired from the Alberta Public Service.
- They must be at least 50 years old.
- They must be receiving a pension or be entitled in future to receive a pension either from the Public Service Pension Plan or the Management Employees Pension Plan.
Soderstrom said the program is sponsored by the Alberta Retired Teachers Association (ARTA) and is fully funded and administered by participating retirees. Neither AUPE nor the Government of Alberta are involved in the funding, design, governance or administration of the program.
At the plan’s commencement, monthly premiums for health benefits coverage will begin at $73 for a single person under age 75 and rise according to extra coverage chosen.
Monthly premiums for dental coverage will range from $32.50 for basic coverage of a single person to $126.50 for the most complete package for a family.
In addition, to participate in the plan, retirees must become members of ARTA — a membership fee of $4.17 will be added onto the monthly premiums.
Premiums may be paid by automatic bank withdrawals or as an automatic deduction from participants’ monthly pension payments from the Alberta Pensions Administration Corp., Soderstrom said.
He noted that questions from retirees specifically related to eligibility requirements, benefits or premium rates should be directed to the plan administrator, Johnson Inc., at 780-413-6536 or toll-free at 1-877-989-2600. Full details of the plan, including a complete schedule of fees and coverage for health and dental benefits, are also available on-line at www.johnson.ca/arta-apsr.
For more information, contact:
Bill Dechant, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, AUPE, 780-930-3302.
Carl Soderstrom, Director of Labour Relations, AUPE, 780-930-3340 or 780-719-7404 (cellular phone)
David Climenhaga, Communications Director, AUPE, 780-930-3311 or 780-717-2943 (cellular phone)