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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgreement with the Carmel Professional Firefighters International Association of Fire Fighters Local 4444 1 iMk 3 4 5 6 7 8 AGREEMENT 9 Between 10 CITY OF CARMEL 11 And 12 CARMEL PROFESSIONAL FIRE FIGHTERS 13 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS LOCAL 4444 14 15 EFFECTIVE 16 January 1, 2019 —December 31, 2020 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1 25 Table of Contents 26 Agreement 4 27 Article I—Period of Agreement 4 28 Section 1 —Duration 4 29 Section 2—Severability 4 30 Section 3—Minimums Only 4 31 Section 4—Uniformity 4 32 Article II—Recognition 5 33 Article III—Union and City Rights and Obligations 5 34 Section 1 —Union Rights 5 35 Section 2—City Rights 6 36 Section 3—Strikes and Lockouts 6 37 Section 4 - Dispute Resolution 6 38 Article IV—Miscellaneous 7 39 Section 1 - Safety 7 40 Section 2—Minimum Staffing 8 41 Section 3—Overtime 8 42 Section 4—Call-back Definition 8 43 Section 5—Fitness Facility 8 44 Section 6—Bid System 8 45 Section 7—Work Performance Evaluation 8 46 Section 8—Promotions 9 47 Article V—Terms and Conditions of Agreement 9 48 Section 1 —Funding 9 49 Article VI—Compensation 9 50 Section 1 —Cost of Living Adjustments 9 51 Section 2—Specialty Pay/Ride-Out pay 9 52 Section 3—Longevity Pay 11 53 Section 4—Pension Contribution 11 54 Section 5—Holiday Pay 11 55 Section 6—Master Firefighter Pay 11 56 Section 7—Vacation Buy-back 11 57 Section 8—Sick Leave Incentive 12 58 Section 9—Grade and Step 12 59 2 60 Article VII—Fringe Benefits 14 61 Section 1 —Retiree Health Insurance 14 62 Section 2—Annual Physical 14 63 Section 3—Uniforms/Safety Gear 14 64 Section 4—Catastrophic Medical Leave Bank 14 65 Section 5—Tuition Reimbursement 15 66 Section 6—Dependent Care 15 67 Section 7—Retiree Health Insurance Re-Enrollment 15 68 Section 8—Other Benefits 155 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 3 90 91 Agreement 92 93 This agreement("Agreement")is entered into by and between the City of Cannel,Indiana 94 ("City"),represented by the Mayor of the City("Mayor"),the City's Board of Public Works and Safety 95 ("Board")and the City's Common Council("Common Council"),and the Cannel Professional 96 Firefighters—International Association of Fire Fighters,Local 4444("Union"),represented by its Carmel 97 President and Secretary/Treasurer. This Agreement is not and shall not be construed as a collective 98 bargaining agreement for the purposes of federal or state labor laws or otherwise. 99 100 Article I —Period of Agreement 101 Section 1—Duration 102 103 Upon its proper execution by all parties hereto,this Agreement shall be effective as of 12:01 a.m. 104 on January 1, 2019,and shall be in effect until 11:59 p.m. on December 31,2020. This Agreement shall 105 remain in full force and effect,unless either party desiring to amend this agreement shall notify the other 106 in writing. Notice of a request for amendment shall specify the content of any and all proposed 107 amendments. The parties agree to begin good faith negotiations on a future Agreement no later than July 108 of 2020. If a new Agreement is not executed before the end of this Agreement,then this Agreement shall 109 remain in effect until a new Agreement is executed by the parties hereto. 110 111 Section 2—Severability 112 113 In the event that any provisions of this agreement are found to be inconsistent with existing State 114 /Federal statutes or laws,the provisions of such statutes or laws shall prevail;and if any provision herein 115 is found to be invalid and unenforceable by a court or other authority having jurisdiction,then such 116 provision shall be considered void,but all other valid provisions shall remain in full force and effect. The 117 parties hereto agree to notify the other of any ruling in that regard. 118 119 Section 3—Minimums Only 120 121 The terms of this Agreement are intended to cover only minimums in hours, working conditions 122 and other employee benefits. The City may implement or retain in effect superior wages,hours,working 123 conditions and other employee benefits. 124 125 Section 4—Uniformity 126 127 Although the parties recognize that it is extremely difficult to compare different pay and work 128 structures so as to exact mathematical equivalencies,the City agrees that,as much as is reasonably 129 possible,Cannel Fire Fighters shall receive the equivalence in benefits and pay raises received by all City 130 public safety employees for pay compensation and fringe benefits. 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 4 142 Article II - Recognition 143 144 The City recognizes the Union as the exclusive recognized representative agent for members of 145 the Carmel Fire Department("Department")with the rank of Battalion Chief or below, so long as the 146 Union maintains the support of the majority of those firefighters. Members of the Department holding the 147 rank of Battalion Chief or below shall hereinafter individually referred to as an"Employee"and 148 collectively referred to as"Employees"and the group of Employees represented by the Union as their 149 exclusive representative shall hereinafter collectively referred to as the"Representation Unit". If the City 150 questions whether the union has the support of the majority of the employees in the Representative Unit, 151 it may review the Clerk-Treasurer's records and/or certified records provided by the Union to determine if 152 the Union maintains the support of the majority of the employees in the department. if the Union does 153 not maintain the support of the majority of the employees in the department,the City shall not recognize 154 the Union as the exclusive representative of the employees at the end of the calendar year in which such 155 majority support is lost. 156 Article III - Union and City Rights and Obligations 157 Section 1—Union Rights 158 159 a. Payroll Deduction. Upon receipt of voluntary, written,current, signed authorization in such form 160 as complies with the laws of the State of Indiana,from member of Local 4444 covered by this 161 Agreement,the City shall deduct each pay check from the earnings of such employees,an amount 162 representing their Union dues as indicated in the current authorization form. The City shall remit 163 such monies,together with the appropriate records,to the Association or its designated official. 164 The City shall not be liable to the Union for any failure to make such deductions. In the event of 165 an overcharge already remitted to the Union, it shall be the sole responsibility of the Union to 166 adjust the matter with the employee. The Union will indemnify the City and hold it harmless 167 from any or all claims or liabilities which arise under this paragraph. 168 169 b. Union use of City Property. The City will allow Union meetings to be held in City buildings at 170 times agreed to by the Chief of the Department. The Union will be responsible for the care and 171 security of the building during such meetings. The City will allow the Union to utilize electronic 172 bulletin boards,e-mail systems, Internet access and paging systems. 173 174 c. Non-Discrimination. Neither the City nor the Union shall make any regulation affecting the right 175 of any employee or employees to join,or refrain from joining,the Association or other lawful 176 employee organization;provided that the City shall retain the full right to control employees' 177 actions,property and equipment during working hours and to control the use of the City's 178 premises. 179 180 d. Voting. Union and members of Local 4444 shall be allowed use of the stations to hold elections 181 for the Union and its' representatives. 182 183 e. Union Time. Employees elected to represent the Union shall be granted time,not to exceed a 184 combined total of two thousand(2,000)hours total annually(to be divided as needed)to perform, 185 without loss of pay,Union functions such as,but not limited to,attendance at meetings, 186 conventions, seminars and conferences. 187 5 188 f. Member Representation. When a member of Local 4444(member) is interviewed,formally or 189 informally,regarding a matter that might lead to disciplinary action, if that member requests a 190 Union representative,all questioning will cease for a reasonable period of time(not to exceed 24 191 hours)until a Union representative(selected by the Union)can be present. 192 Section 2—City Rights 193 194 The Union agrees that it is the exclusive right of the City to: maintain order,discipline and efficiency in 195 the operations of the Department;hire,direct,transfer,promote,discharge or otherwise discipline 196 Employees in accord with law;operate and manage the work of the Department,and; allocate personnel 197 through the bid system, apparatus,fire stations and other resources in a manner the Chief of the 198 Department believes is reasonable and in the best interest of public safety of personnel. 199 Section 3—Strikes and Lockouts 200 201 As the service performed by the Employees covered by this Agreement are essential to the 202 administration of the Department and to the welfare of the public dependent thereon,neither the Carmel 203 Professional Fire Fighters Union nor any member of the Representative Unit covered by the Agreement 204 shall initiate,authorize, sanction,encourage, support or engage in any strike, slow-down,concerted job 205 action, work stoppage,"sick-out",or cease the continuous performance of their duties. The city agrees 206 that no lock out shall take place during the term of this Agreement. 207 The Union acknowledges that any conduct that violates this Section threatens irreparable harm to 208 the public. The Union shall not be held liable under this Agreement for the unauthorized activity of the 209 Employees in violation of this Section,and agree to immediately make a vigorous,bona fide and 210 continued effort to end all such activities in the event of a documented violation of this Section, including 211 written notification to each offending Employee that his/her activity is unprotected and is not authorized, 212 supported or ratified by the Union. 213 Section 4—Dispute Resolution 214 215 The Union and the City agree to work together in good faith to resolve labor/management 216 issues. The Union agrees to encourage its members to follow all Department rules,policies and 217 procedures and to strive to improve their skills to ever higher levels,and the city agree to enforce its rules 218 in a fair and impartial manner. Bothe Union and the City agree to attempt to resolve issues subject to this 219 Agreement informally or through Alternative Dispute Resolution(ADR)before commencing or 220 sponsoring legal action against the other. 221 222 223 224 225 6 226 Article IV — Miscellaneous 227 Section 1—Safety 228 229 a. The Department shall maintain and keep in effect through the term of this Agreement,a Safety 230 Committee for reviewing departmental accidents, injuries,job-related safety complaints, 231 protective gear and equipment issues,or any other safety related areas. The Safety Committee 232 shall make recommendations to the Chief concerning safety issues. The Safety Committee shall 233 be compromised of up to eleven(11)merit members representing the following division areas: 234 The ex officio members comprised of three(3)Officers who occupy the position of the A,B and 235 C Shift Battalion Executive Officer;three(3)merit officers that occupy the position of the A,B 236 and C Shift Safety Training Officer(STO); and the one(1)staff officer who holds the position of 237 Department Safety Officer. 238 The Union Will Select: 239 (1) Firefighter 240 (1) Engineer 241 The Department will select: 242 (1) Captain or Lieutenant 243 (1) Chief Officer 244 245 The Administration or Committee can call on additional personnel(i.e. Civilian Staff, 246 Maintenance etc.) if it feels that someone's expertise can benefit the committee. Request for 247 meetings involving the Safety Committee may be initiated by the Chief of the Department or the 248 Safety Committee Chairperson,who shall be appointed by the Chief of the Department. The 249 Chairperson shall prepare an agenda of items to be discussed and established and communicate a 250 date and place for such meeting. 251 252 b. The Department and its Employees covered herein shall comply with applicable Federal, State 253 and Local laws and Department policies concerning safety and health. The Department shall 254 make reasonable provisions for the safety and health of its Employees during the hours of 255 employment in compliance with applicable laws. In this regard,the Carmel Professional 256 Firefighters Local 4444 and Employees realize that they have joint responsibility to cooperate in 257 maintaining safe practices in the Department. In addition, it is the responsibility of each Member 258 of the Department to operate vehicles,machinery and equipment in a safe manner. 259 260 c. The Department may summarily discipline,or prohibit an Employee from operating in an unsafe 261 manner. However,no reduction in rank,grade or pay will be made without following the 262 appropriate disciplinary policies of the Department and Indiana Law. 263 264 d. All accidents,regardless of the severity, must be reported to the Member's supervisor 265 immediately for review in accordance with Department Policies. 266 267 268 7 269 Section 2—Minimum Staffing 270 271 The City will"call back"Employees or mark apparatus out of service if staffing falls below four 272 (4)Employees on a fire engine,or five(5)Employees on a ladder truck and two(2)Employees on an 273 ambulance. This minimum staffing requirement may be suspended in the event of an emergency as 274 determined in the sole discretions of the Chief,after consultation with the Union President or the highest 275 ranking available Union Officer. Furthermore,the current"8-hour rule"remains in effect allowing 276 staffing to fall below four(4)Employees on a fire engine and five(5)Employees on a ladder truck and 277 two(2)Employees on an ambulance, so long as that vacancy is not for eight(8)or more hours. 278 Section 3—Overtime 279 280 A"call back"shall be voluntary unless an emergency is declared by the Chief or the Mayor and 281 may include alteration of the normal work schedule. "Call back"time shall be paid at a rate of time and 282 one-half of the Employee's regular hourly rate. 283 Section 4—Call-back Definition 284 285 As used in this Article,"call-back"means requesting or requiring an employee to work hours in 286 addition to the Employees scheduled hours,and"off-duty"means the time other than an Employee's 287 regularly scheduled working hours or vacation. 288 Section 5—Fitness Facility 289 290 The Department shall provide facilities and equipment to allow employees to maintain physical 291 fitness at each station. Decisions related to the location of the fitness facilities,the type of and 292 replacement of fitness equipment are within the sole discretion of the Department. 293 Section 6—Bid System 294 295 Carmel Fire Department Rules and Regulations 7.28 will govern the CFD bid process,which will 296 remain in effect throughout the term of this Agreement. 297 Section 7—Work Performance Evaluation 298 299 The Carmel Fire Department Work Performance Evaluation(WPE)will measure an individual's 300 ability to physically perform the essential functions required to execute the duties of a firefighter.The 301 Carmel Fire Department has established a minimum level of acceptable performance that protects the 302 safety of the firefighter and provides a measure of an individual's physical ability to perform the essential, 303 job specific,functions required to effectively execute the duties of a firefighter.Work Performance 304 Evaluation(WPE)shall be department policy as determined by the labor management process. 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 8 314 Section 8—Promotions 315 316 The Officer Structure of the CFD will consist of thirteen(13)Captains and fourteen(14) 317 Lieutenants. In addition to these positions,each shift will have three(3)float Lieutenants. The total 318 number of merit officers will be thirty-six(36);or,one(1)Captain and two(2)Lieutenants per apparatus. 319 The Battalion Chief and Executive Officer position will be staffed by merit Lieutenants and/or Captains. 320 When the number of Operations Section officers on shift fall below thirty-six(36), promotions 321 shall take place within 45 days of initial vacancy. If more than 45 days is needed to promote, as 322 determined by the Fire Chief,consultation with Ll1l11 President and Fire Chief will take place at a 323 minimum of 10 days prior to the expiration of the 45 days,through the labor management process.Both 324 parties must reach a mutually agreeable timeline. 325 Article V — Terms and Conditions of Agreement 326 Section 1 —Funding 327 328 The parties agree that, if the Common Council fails or refuses to fully fund this Agreement under 329 circumstances wherein full funding would not adversely affect a vital governmental function of the City, 330 all financial provisions of this Agreement shall become null and void to the extent they are not funded, 331 and that they will return to the negotiations process to negotiate Agreement terms that are consistent with 332 the level of funding approved by the Common Council. 333 Article VI — Compensation 334 335 Section 1—Cost of Living Adjustments 336 337 For salary increase for 2019 and 2020, Employees covered by this agreement shall receive an 338 increase to their base salary of three percent (3%). The parties hereto agree that should the Consumer 339 Price Index for all Midwestern Wage Earners ("CPI-W") independent of seasonal adjustment, as reported 340 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor for the previous calendar year 341 fluctuate plus or minus 2% from the three percent (3%) C.O.L.A. provided for by this Article, they shall 342 return to the negotiation process to consider a more appropriate C.O.L.A. 343 The City agrees to promptly consult with the Union, upon request, regarding changes made to an 344 Employee's working conditions and/or standards. However, subject to Article VI of this Agreement, the 345 salary, bonus, vacation and sick leave benefits in effect for Employees on January 1, 2019 shall not be 346 reduced without the mutual consent of the City and the Union. 347 Section 2—Specialty Pay/Ride-Out pay 348 349 Each Fire Department Employee shall be entitled to receive only one (1) type of specialty pay at 350 any given time. The Employee shall receive the highest specialty pay for which he/she is eligible. All 351 specialty pay shall cease when and Employee no longer performs the duties associated with the pay or no 352 longer meets the qualifications for such pay, whether the change results from the decision/action of the 353 City or the Employee. 9 354 Annual Specialty Pay for Employees covered under this Agreement shall be as follows: 355 Specialty Pay: 356 Paramedic 10%of First Class Firefighter Salary 357 Mechanic $2000.00 358 Shift Investigator $2000.00 359 Hazardous Materials $2000.00 360 Foreign Language $2000.00 361 Public Information Officer(PIO)$3500.00 362 Special Duty Pay $2000.00 363 Station Captain $1500.00 364 Master Engineer $2500.00(must be bid as engineer to receive) 365 • An Employee who demonstrates a specified level of fluency in an approved foreign language 366 shall receive the Foreign Language Specialty Pay in addition to all other forms of compensation. 367 All such pay must be approved by the Chief and the Director of Human Resources. To continue 368 receiving this compensation, the Employee is required to maintain fluency, and may be 369 periodically re-tested. 370 • Public Information Officer(PIO) is appointed by the Fire Chief and is subject to change at his/her 371 discretion. 372 • Special duty pay is for employees who take on long term responsibilities/projects/assignments 373 designated by the Fire Chief. 374 • Hazardous Material Technicians will be paid specialty pay regardless of station assignment. 375 • Station Captain is one (1) Captain per station, total of six (6) positions. Station Captain shall be 376 selected by the Fire Chief. 377 The following specialty pays shall be paid in addition to only one other form of annual specialty 378 compensation listed in Article VI Section 2 Specialty/Ride-out pay: 379 • Public Information Officer(PIO) 380 • Special Duty Pay 381 • Station Captain 382 • Master Engineer 383 Ride—Out Pay: 384 a. An employee shall be entitled an additional $2.00 per hour for each hour he or she is assigned to 385 an ambulance, in addition to all other forms of compensation. 386 b. A Officer who fills in for Battalion Chief shall receive$3.00 per hour ride-out pay,and a 387 c. Firefighter who fills in for an Engineer, Lieutenant or Captain shall receive $2.00 per hour ride- 388 out pay, in addition to all other forms of compensation. 389 d. Officers filling in for other officers (except filling in for Battalion Chief) are not eligible for ride- 390 out pay. 391 392 10 393 Section 3—Longevity Pay 394 395 Sworn firefighters shall receive longevity pay at the rate of Two Hundred Twenty Dollars 396 ($220.00) per year of service for years 1-10 and Two Hundred Eighty Dollars ($280.00) per year of 397 service for years 11-25. Longevity shall be capped at twenty-five (25) years of service or($6,400.00) in 398 addition to all other forms of compensation. 399 Section 4—Pension Contribution 400 401 The City shall maintain membership in the 1977 Fund and shall require members of the 402 Department to meet the eligibility requirements for the Fund. The City shall pay twenty-one percent 403 (21%)of the established Master Firefighter salary for each Member of the Department participating in the 404 1977 Fund. In the event that state actuary reports lower the twenty-one percent (21%) obligation levied 405 upon the City in any fiscal year, that amount shall be reflected as a credit toward the six percent (6.0%) 406 obligation levied upon the Members of the Department. 407 Section 5—Holiday Pay 408 409 Each Employee who is required to report to work on a declared holiday, whether on a scheduled 410 or an unscheduled basis, shall receive Fifteen Dollars ($15.00) per hour premium pay for each hour 411 actually worked on the holiday. Such premium pay shall be calculated to the nearest quarter hour. 412 Section 6—Master Firefighter Pay 413 414 A firefighter will not become First Class/Master Firefighter until he/she has served 10 years. 415 The First Class/Master Firefighter salary,as designated in the annual salary ordinance,will be certified 416 to the state for pension reporting purposes. A First Class/Master Firefighter is eligible to receive 417 specialty pay and other hourly pay differentials. 418 Section 7—Vacation Buy-back 419 420 Employees may submit up to one third(1/3) of their unused annually accrued vacation time. The 421 City may buy back such vacation time and, if it does so, shall buy back each hour of vacation time at the 422 Employee's hourly rate. Employees must submit their hours (in no less than twenty-four (24) hours 423 increments for Sworn Shift personnel and in no less than 7.5 hour increments—Sworn Staff personnel)to 424 the Department on the first Monday of the last pay period. Payment for any submitted vacation time (if 425 approved)shall be rendered by the City before the last day in February of the following year. 426 427 Sworn Shift Personnel: 428 1 —5 years Maximum of 2 full shifts eligible for submission(48.0 hours) 429 6— 12 years Maximum of 3 full shifts eligible for submission(72.0 hours) 430 13 or more years Maximum of 4 full shifts eligible for submission(96.0 hours) 431 432 433 11 434 Sworn Staff Personnel: 435 1 —5 years Maximum of 3 full shifts eligible for submission(22.5 hours) 436 6— 12 years Maximum of 5 full shifts eligible for submission(37.5 hours) 437 13 or more years Maximum of 6 full shifts eligible for submission(45.0 hours) 438 Any Employee who has been suspended from the Department for disciplinary purposes or any 439 Employee having used five (5)or more sick days in a calendar year will be disqualified from this benefit, 440 as permitted by law. 441 Section 8—Sick Leave Incentive 442 443 Employees may be eligible for sick leave incentive pay, which is based on the amount of sick 444 leave used in a calendar year as follows: 445 None 24 hours 446 Equivalent of one(1)shift(or any portion thereof) 20 hours 447 Equivalent of two(2)shifts(or one shift plus any portion of a second) 12 hours 448 Equivalent of three(3) shifts(or two shifts plus any portion of a third) 8 hours 449 Equivalent of four(4)shifts(or three shifts plus any portion of a fourth) 4 hours 450 The hourly rate of pay for each eligible Employee, for the purposes of this pay incentive only, 451 shall be calculated as follows: [bi-weekly base pay plus (+) longevity1/80 hours. All sick leave used by 452 an Employee in the course of the calendar year, except leave for injuries incurred on duty or in the line of 453 duty,or as otherwise required by applicable law, shall be counted toward the incentive pay calculation for 454 that year,regardless of the reason for the leave or the status of the leave. 455 Sick leave incentive pay may be paid out each year in February, for the prior calendar year,at the 456 eligible Employee's current rate of pay. An Employee must be employed by the Department for an entire 457 calendar year, and must be employed by the City at the time of the payout, in order to be eligible for 458 incentive pay for that calendar year. 459 Section 9—Grade and Step 460 461 Definitions: 462 GRADE—pay category to which a City position is assigned; each position is placed within a hierarchy of 463 Grades (see attached matrix), based on the knowledge, skills, abilities and responsibility required by the 464 position. 465 STEP—established point between the Range Minimum and Range Maximum of a Grade; each Grade has 466 six(6)equidistant Steps,which are adjusted annually. 467 MARKET—municipalities and other employer organizations selected by the City as the basis for salary 468 comparisons. 12 469 RANGE MINIMUM—lowest pay rate (Step 1) for a City position in a particular Grade; generally, the 470 rate at which a new City employee will be paid. 471 RANGE MAXIMUM—highest pay rate for a City position in a particular Grade; generally, the rate at 472 which an employees with five(5)or more years of experience in a particular job will be paid. 473 STEP INCREASE—annual pay adjustment based on an additional year of service and the increased 474 knowledge, skill and ability that the year of service represents; employees in Steps one (1) through five 475 (5)will generally move to the next higher Step on January 1 of each year. 476 PROMOTION—change of positions that results in a higher Grade. 477 RE-EVALUATION—review of a position's assigned Grade brought about by an increase(or decrease) in 478 knowledge, skill, ability and responsibility requirements; a Re-evaluation, which is performed by the 479 City's independent consultant, may result in a higher Grade,a lower Grade or no change in Grade. 480 1. New employees will be hired at Step 1 for the assigned Grade.All requests for exceptions must be put 481 in writing by the department head and approved by the Director of Human Resources. 482 483 2. Step Increases will be given in January only; increases are to be given the rest of the year only as the 484 result of a Promotion or a job Re-evaluation by the City's independent consultant. All such increases 485 must place the employee at a specific Step in the appropriate Grade. 486 487 3. An employee will not receive a Step Increase in January unless he or she was hired prior to October 1 488 of the previous year. Employees hired between October 1 and December 31 will receive a Cost of 489 Living Increase but no Step Increase. 490 491 4. Step Increases will be granted automatically to employees at Step 5 or below. Step Increases may be 492 contingent upon meeting certain pre-established criteria, such as education and certification 493 requirements. Employees subject to such requirements shall be made aware by their existence 494 immediately upon inception of the requirements, or acceptance of a job that carries such 495 requirements. 496 497 5. Every employee will move up one Step each year without skipping intermediate Steps.EXCEPTION: 498 Public safety employees (Police, Fire and Communications) hired prior to 1999 with the expectation 499 of programmed raises based on longevity shall continue to receive those raises, regardless of the time 500 of year they occur or how many Steps the pay increase encompasses). Public Safety employees hired 501 on or after January 1, 1999 will receive annual raises in January based on consecutive Steps 502 503 6. No employee's salary will be allowed to exceed the Range Maximum (Step 6) for his or her Grade, 504 unless his or her salary was already above Step 6 on January 1, 1999. EXCEPTION. In the interest of 505 maintaining equality within the ranks of the Police Department and the Fire Department, exceptions 506 will be made for Master Firefighters, Fire Lieutenant and Captains. Individuals entering those 507 positions by reason of longevity or Promotion shall receive the same base salary as others already in 508 those positions, even though the base salary exceeds the Range Maximum. Other exceptions may be 509 made under very rare circumstances, with the written request and explanation of the department head 510 and the approval 'of the Director of Human Resources. 511 512 7. An employee whose pay is adjusted due to a Promotion will be placed in a Step that will ensure an 513 appropriate pay increase, such Step to be recommended by the department head and approved by the 514 Director of Human Resources. 515 516 13 517 Pay Grades: 518 519 Battalion Chief Grade 18 520 Division Chief Grade 18 521 Captain Grade 15 522 Lieutenant Grade 14 523 Engineer Grade 12 524 Firefighter Grade 525 11 526 527 Article VII — Fringe Benefits 528 529 Section 1—Retiree Health Insurance 530 531 a. The City shall contribute fifty percent (50%) of the monthly employee-spouse premium for 532 retirees who have twenty(20)years of active service with the City,plus an additional one percent 533 (1%) for each additional six (6) months of service, up to a maximum of seventy-five percent 534 (75%) of the employee-spouse (or 75% of the employee-only premium if the employee is 535 unmarried or the spouse is not covered by the City plan), provided that the City's insurance 536 premium contribution shall not exceed Nine Hundred Dollars ($900.00) per month or 537 ($10,800.00)Ten Thousand Eight Hundred Dollars per year. 538 b. Coverage for other eligible dependents may be continued at the retiree's expense. 539 c. The City's insurance premium contribution cap shall be evaluated each year to keep pace with 540 current health insurance costs. 541 d. For an Employee who dies in the line of duty, the City shall contribute 100% of the monthly 542 spouse and dependent(if applicable)medical and dental premiums. 543 e. For an Employee who is disabled, the City shall contribute to a disabled employee's insurance 544 premium according to the formula found in City Code Section 2-42. 545 f. Retiree Health Insurance will only be available to employees hired prior to October 3,2016. 546 Section 2—Annual Physical 547 548 The City shall continue its practice of providing annual physicals to each Employee at no cost to 549 the Employee made available through a mutually agreeable facility. No changes to the make-up of this 550 physical shall be made without 30 days prior notice to the Union. In the event that changes to specific 551 test and / or components of the medical evaluation are needed, the City will meet with the Union to 552 discuss and receive input on the proposed changes. 553 Section 3—Uniforms/Safety Gear 554 555 The Department shall issue all uniforms and safety gear through the Department Quartermaster system. 556 557 Section 4—Catastrophic Medical Leave Bank 558 559 All firefighters unused sick days shall be credited to the Catastrophic Medical Leave Bank. A 560 firefighter who is unable to perform his/her own duties or to perform light duty assignments for an 561 extended period of time due to illness or injury is eligible for PERF disability benefits,which are less than 562 the firefighters active duty pay. Under 35 IAC 2-5-1, the City is not allowed to supplement PERF 563 disability payments. In order to avoid penalizing a firefighter financially during the period of 14 564 recuperation, the Catastrophic Medical Leave Bank shall allow eligible firefighters to receive up to one 565 hundred twenty (120) calendar days of full pay after sick leave and vacation benefits are exhausted and 566 before PERF disability benefits commence(two hundred forty(240)calendar days for injuries or illnesses 567 incurred in the line of duty),as permitted by law. 568 Section 5-Tuition Reimbursement 569 570 The City sponsors a tuition reimbursement program subject to Carmel City Code 2-58,as 571 amended,for full-time employees who are employed by the City both on the year prior to the beginning 572 of the course for which tuition reimbursement is requested and at the time the final request for 573 reimbursement is made. To be eligible for tuition reimbursement the employee cannot have been subject 574 to disciplinary probation,demotion,or suspension within the 90 calendar day immediately prior to the 575 beginning date of the course for which tuition reimbursement is requested. Refer to Carmel Fire 576 Department Rules and Regulations 4.16 TUITION REIMBURSEMENTS. 577 Section 6-Dependent Care 578 579 The City agrees to allow employees to utilize up to 2 days(48 hours)of their sick time annually 580 for the unexpected care and treatment of a dependent.The employee may utilize this time in increments 581 of four(4), six(6),or seven and a half(7.5)hours.The City agrees to treat this benefit in the same 582 manner as an employee sick day.This does not increase the amount of sick time afforded to an employee. 583 Section 7-Retiree Health Insurance Re-Enrollment 584 585 Effective January 1, 2019, the City of Carmel will allow retired firefighters with at least 20 years 586 of full-time service to the City to drop the City's health plan when they retire, or any time they become 587 eligible for other coverage, then rejoin the City's health plan at a later date. Retired firefighters who are 588 not enrolled in the plan when they retire are also eligible for this program. All retiree re-enrollments are 589 subject to the following requirements: 590 591 a. Eligible retirees and their dependents must maintain continuous coverage through another 592 employer-sponsored health insurance program or an individual ACA-compliant plan offered 593 by a carrier licensed by the State of Indiana or, if the retiree has moved out of Indiana, the 594 retiree's state of residence. 595 596 b. Proof of continuous coverage must be submitted at the time of re-enrollment, to the City of 597 Carmel's Department of Human Resources. 598 599 c.Eligible retired firefighters can rejoin the plan under the following circumstances: 600 1.Any year during the open enrollment period. 601 2.Following a change in family status,provided application is made within 30 days 602 of the change. Such changes must be verified with appropriate documents. 603 3. Eligibility for the City's plan ends when the retiree or covered dependent qualifies for 604 Medicare. 605 4. Eligible retired firefighters who fail to follow the foregoing rules shall forfeit their 606 eligibility for re-enrollment. 607 Section 8-Other Benefits 608 609 Additionally,the City agrees not to diminish any additional employee benefits included within 610 the City of Carmel Employee Handbook not already discussed herein as of the date of this Agreement. 15 611 This obligation shall continue through the termination of this Agreement and the said handbook hereby is 612 included and made a part hereof by reference. 613 _ V n 614 Approved and Adopted this i.O day of K 0 f z V , 20 615 616 617 CITY OF CARMEL, INDIANA CARMEL PROFESSIONAL 618 Board of Public Works and Safety FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION 619 620 621 BY: BY: 622 ' 623/e/e.--624s Brain d, res. ing /ice 'When, President 625 Date: i Date: *JD /�j 626 / 627 I628 f / _` 629 Mary :urke, Me i l er 630 Date: s Qo r 631 632 633 1/ 634 Lori S. Waison ''e ber 635 Date: a- Q.17/[ 7 636 637 638 ATTEST: ,\ 639 640 %%J_' 4ra-/ ?/e'e/ 441/- 641 • hristine S. Px1 , C rk-Treasurer 642 Date: AV/if 643 644 645 16