Benefits Bulletin #3-2024

      INTERNATIONAL LONGSHORE AND WAREHOUSE UNION | LOCAL 13

630 South Centre Street | San Pedro, CA  90731 | (310) 830-6116 

 

 from your Benefits Office 

Benefits Bulletin #3-2024 

 

MARCH 2024 BENEFITS BULLETIN

 

 

Happy Women’s HERstory Month to all of the ladies in your life – especially the women on the waterfront!  We honor all of our mothers and grandmothers, our sisters, daughters, aunts, cousins, and nieces, and our female friends.  We thank you all for your contributions to the Union, and we appreciate your participation in our Local.  You are respected and valued for the work you do at home, on the job, and in the community.  We especially remember all of the brave and courageous women who came before us. 

Thursday, March 14, 2024   11 am to 1 pm   ILWU Local 13 630 South Centre Street San Pedro, CA  90731

 

Please join us for another seminar about SOCIAL SECURITY and MEDICARE.  Spouses may attend.  Light refreshments will be provided, and you can also bring your own lunch.  Please RSVP by emailing Benefits@ilwu13.org with your full name and registration number in the subject line and how many guests will attend in the body of your email.  That way we know which meeting room to reserve and so we have enough refreshments.  This meeting is IN PERSON only and will not be available remotely.

 

 

The Benefits Office is very busy processing lots of welfare, pension, and supplemental claims.

• Welfare Claims are required to keep your medical/dental/vision benefits if you did not work 800 hours in the previous PMA payroll year.

• Pension Claims are required if you did not work 800 or 1,300 hours in any PMA payroll year and you want to receive pension credit toward retirement for that year.

• Supplemental Claims are required if you were out on disability (not FMLA, not worker’s comp) and you want to receive the $150 weekly supplement.

Remember that we process all claims in the order they are received.  Sending multiple emails, or reaching out to every staff member for the same issue only creates more work for staff and causes longer delays for other members.  We processed THOUSANDS of claims for HUNDREDS of members last year and there will probably be more this year.  Your patience is greatly appreciated. If you need one, two, or all three of these claims prepared, please submit an email to the Benefits Office and let us know what you need.

 

More than 60 members participated in the Unpaid Chiropractic Claims Meeting we held last month either by attending in person or by joining us on Zoom.  We are aware that this is a very big problem affecting all of us and we are being proactive about ways to help each other understand the issues and discussing the best way to handle this situation.  During our meeting, a brief history of the chiropractic benefit was shared and lots of helpful information was offered regarding how to appeal, when to request a peer-to-peer evaluation, how to file a Full and Fair Review Request, and the arbitration process.  We will continue to assist members whose chiropractic claims are being reviewed or denied by Innovative Care Management (ICM).  If you need assistance with any of this, please submit an email to the Benefits Office and we will send you additional information, and if necessary, schedule an appointment to meet with you.

Information about the CLRC Lactation Policy on the back of this page.  

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More than 600 members took advantage of the amazing deals we negotiated last month for Paw Patrol, USC Basketball, and SVNS Rugby!  Thank you for representing the ILWU in the community through positive activities that promote unity, wellness, and fun!  We are working on more opportunities so be on the lookout for flash Benefits Bulletins and check https://www.ilwu13.com/ regularly!

Information for Working Mothers Who are Breastfeeding

 

In 2020, the Coast Labor Relations Committee (CLRC) updated the policy for lactating mothers who seek lactation accommodations to express breastmilk during work.  Below are highlights from the revised protocols.  Please contact the Benefits Office if you would like a copy of the policy or additional information about lactation facilities at individual terminals.  

1. Lactating mothers must have a reasonable rest period, which is no less than 30 minutes but may be more, during each four-hour work period to express breast milk for a child who is two years of age or younger. 

2. Lactating mothers shall, if feasible, take the rest periods to express milk at the same time as the rest or meal periods that are otherwise provided to her. 

3. PMA member companies must treat the rest periods used by the employee for expressing milk as paid rest periods, but only up to the amount of time that the employers are contractually required to provide paid rest periods. There is no obligation to pay additional time taken beyond the contractually required rest period. However, where other employees are paid for rest periods that exceed the contractually required rest period, a lactating mother who needs more time should be treated similarly. 

4. PMA member companies must make reasonable efforts to provide lactating mothers with a private location within close proximity to the employee’s work area to express milk. A private location is a place, other than a restroom or toilet stall, where the employee may express milk concealed from view and without intrusion. In addition to affording complete privacy, the location must have a place to sit, contain a surface to place a breast pump and personal items, have access to electricity or alternative devices (e.g. extension cords and charging stations) needed to operate an electric or battery-powered breast pump, have access to a sink with running water, a refrigerator or cooler suitable for storing milk, and be safe, sanitary, and free of hazardous materials. If a multipurpose room is used, lactation must take precedence over the other uses, and the private space should not be utilized for any other purpose during the time that a lactating mother is expressing breast milk. One example of an acceptable lactation location, other than a dedicated room in an existing structure, is a standalone transportable pod for lactating mothers. 

5. Lactating mothers should be notified of the person or entity to whom a lactating mother should give notice of the intent to express milk. In the absence of any notice, it is sufficient for a lactating mother to give verbal notice to a supervisor or manager or PMA representative of her intent. 

6. Lactating mothers are not required to submit any documentation regarding their need to express breast milk and may not be subject to retaliation for asserting a right to a lactation accommodation. 

If you need assistance with anything BENEFITS-related, please submit an email to Benefits@ilwu13.org with your name and registration number in the subject line of your email. 

Please include your phone number in the body of the email and be specific with your inquiry/request. 

In service to our local, our union, and our community.    Vivian Malauulu, M.A. Ed. Admin.  Benefits Officer   Benefits Bulletin #3-2024 OPEIU #537/MV

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