FRIDAY,
NOVEMBER 20, 2009
UNICARE UPDATE
/ FSA UPDATE
11/20/09
A Memorandum was issued by the
Department of Finance Comptroller’s
Officer on November 18. A copy of
the text is reproduced for you here.
TO: All Department Benefit
Liaisons
From: Benefits Management
RE: UNICARE UPDATE / FSA UPDATE
Date: November 28, 2009
Unicare Performance HMO to be
replaced by Blue Perform HMO.
Select Enrollment starts this
Friday.
There will be a select enrollment
period from November 20th
to December 1, 2009 for the
following three employee groups:
1.
The
employees currently enrolled in
Unicare HMO who stayed in
Unicare
during the last open
enrollment
2.
The
employees currently enrolled in
Unicare HMO who opted out of
Unicare
during the last
enrollment
3.
The
employees who opted into Unicare
during the last open enrollment.
No one else has the opportunity to
change medical plans during this
enrollment. This is medical only –
not dental.
A letter will be mailed to the home
address of the employees in each of
the three groups listed above. The
letter will explain their options.
An announcement will be posted on
the Benefits Management Division’s
website:
www.cityofchicago.org/benefits.
FSA Reopens Online
this Friday
The Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
will reopen for all eligible
employees this Friday,
November 20th and will be
open until Tuesday, December 1st.
This is another opportunity for
employees to participate in the FSA
for 2010 for the first time or to
re-enroll. There is no automatic
re-enrollment for employees who
currently participate.
This is only an online enrollment.
Please visit
www.mypayflex.com, online
enrollment instructions can be found
in the October 16th
Benefits Bulletin that employees
signed for with the paychecks. It
is also available online at
www.cityofchicago.org/benefits.
WORK SCHEDULE
UPDATE
11/16/09
Today, the Lodge and the City signed
the agreement which is the revised
memorandum of understanding for work
day schedules. These revisions will
become operational on January 10th,
2010. The revised memorandum
maintains the current Pilot Programs
that have been in effect since the
start of this year and expands the
4-2 schedule to all districts and
the three remaining Detective Areas
that are not in a pilot program.
This agreement came as a result of a
substantial amount time and input
from all of the parties involved and
is commonly viewed as a win win
situation for all involved. This
Lodge proposal was a continuation of
efforts that have been made for the
past 15 years in negotiations to
address a work schedule that has
been around for at least 45
years. Both sides of the table were
able to recognize the advantages for
the Police Department and the people
in the communities in which we
serve.
The complete Memorandum, dated
today, will be posted on the Current
Contract Page of this site. We
anticipate the publication of orders
surrounding the Watch and Furlough
Selection processes in the very near
future.
FOP ONLINE
STORE
11/11/09
Several new items have been added to
the FOP Online Gift Shop. The Online
Gift Shop is currently offering Free
shipping for all orders totaling
$30.00 or more that are placed
November 16 through December 1,
2009. You may visit the Online Gift
Shop by clicking the yellow tab on
the top left of any FOP Website
page.
Although all customer information is
encrypted, some members may not feel
comfortable shopping online. Those
members always have the option of
placing their order by telephone by
calling the store at 312-733-2344.
OFFICERS'
IDENTITIES REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL
11/10/09
In 2004, a woman filed a lawsuit
against the City of Chicago and
eight officers alleging her civil
rights were violated through
physical and mental abuse. During
pretrial discovery, the City was
required to turn over thousands of
pages of confidential information,
including CR files, in regards to
the eight officers as well as other
officers. There was sufficient
information to identify all these
officers. This information was to
be kept confidential pursuant to a
protective order, which prevented
its disclosure. The Plaintiff
settled her claims and agreed to
dismiss the case.
Before the case was dismissed a
journalist (who had no role in the
case) filed a motion asking for
access to the confidential
information and the ability to
disclose this information to the
public. The District Court granted
the motion and the City appealed.
Twenty-eight Aldermen joined the
case to have access to the
information.
The 7th Circuit Court
of Appeals ruled today that the
motion and the confidential material
will NOT be disclosed.
OFFICER PEDRO
MEDINA UPDATE
11/09/09
Officer
Pedro Medina assigned to the 014th
District was deployed to
Afghanistan. Officer Medina was
inside of a building and seriously
injured when a helicopter crashed
into the building causing it to
collapse. Pete is now at a Veteran's
Hospital in Tampa, FL. He was
initially admitted as a paraplegic.
He is now undergoing extensive
physical therapy six days a week
where he is making progress. He is
now able to walk slowly with the
help of a cane.
Members
are encouraged to call, send a card,
letter, or email to Officer Medina
and his family.
James
A. Haley Veteran's Hospital
13000 Bruce B Downs Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33612
Spinal Cord Injury Unit Room D47
Phone:
813-631-6045
E-mail:
pmedina08@gmail.com
FT. HOOD HERO
11/09/09
All too often the news media is
quick to publish an article that
puts police officers in a bad light.
Rarely, if ever, does the media
mention police officers who are
simply doing their jobs and in doing
so perform acts of heroism. Sgt.
Kimberly Munley, a civilian series
0083 Police Officer is one such
officer. The
National FOP e-News Update dated
November 6, 2009 tells her story.
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS
Please
contact
Rich Aguilar.
