SPEC Kit 320: Core Benefits · 89
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
66. Please enter any additional information that may assist the author’s understanding of the types of
core benefits offered to library staff at your institution. N=14
Background: applies to employees appointed for a period of 12 months or longer.
Because benefits for staff and faculty are quite different, we have provided answers that apply to Libraries’ faculty
benefits. While we don’t have our HSAs, the employee has to open those him/herself, we do offer an HSA-qualified high
deductible health plan (HDHP).
Benefits are negotiated through the collective bargaining process. There is one pension plan for all employees so this is
not negotiated through the collective bargaining process.
Canada has a government run health care plan that provides universal coverage for all Canadians. The university
provides benefits that supplement the government health care plan, i.e., the difference between a semi-private hospital
room and a standard ward room.
Employee medical plan premiums are based on 4 annual salary bands (based on full-time salary rate), and the percent
of employer contribution to the premiums decreases as annual salaries increase. The 4 salary bands are: $46,000 or
Less $46,001-$92,000 $92,000-$137,000 Greater Than $137,000.
Employees may participate in a voluntary wellness program and get a $40 a month reduction in health insurance
premiums. The program involves filling out a survey about individual health risk factors and agreeing to occasional
phone calls if any health improvement goals are identified. The university offers free tuition to dependents for a first
undergraduate degree and up to 6 credit hours/semester for employees. Employees ride free on city buses by showing
university ID. Employees may apply for interest free loans for computer hardware and software. Employees get free
membership at local art museum.
Employees who work between 20 and 29 hours per week are eligible for health insurance, but the employee must pay
the employer’s premium portion. When an employee begins work, he/she may choose for health, life, and accidental
death and dismemberment insurance to begin either the first of the month following the employee’s start date or the
first of the month after that. This means that the employee could be covered on his/her second day of work if he/
she starts work on the last day of the month. For the PPO program, the maximum out-of-pocket expenses for out-of-
network care is $19,500.
PPO out of pocket expenses single and family coverage include deductibles. If not, then 1,000.
The library has staff that are non-bargaining, as well as staff represented by three other union contracts. This survey
describes the non-bargaining benefits which, in some cases, vary significantly from the union negotiated benefits.
When viewing the university Benefits Web pages it is important to know that there are three categories of staff:
academic staff, support staff, and a group of senior administrative staff called Management and Professional staff.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
66. Please enter any additional information that may assist the author’s understanding of the types of
core benefits offered to library staff at your institution. N=14
Background: applies to employees appointed for a period of 12 months or longer.
Because benefits for staff and faculty are quite different, we have provided answers that apply to Libraries’ faculty
benefits. While we don’t have our HSAs, the employee has to open those him/herself, we do offer an HSA-qualified high
deductible health plan (HDHP).
Benefits are negotiated through the collective bargaining process. There is one pension plan for all employees so this is
not negotiated through the collective bargaining process.
Canada has a government run health care plan that provides universal coverage for all Canadians. The university
provides benefits that supplement the government health care plan, i.e., the difference between a semi-private hospital
room and a standard ward room.
Employee medical plan premiums are based on 4 annual salary bands (based on full-time salary rate), and the percent
of employer contribution to the premiums decreases as annual salaries increase. The 4 salary bands are: $46,000 or
Less $46,001-$92,000 $92,000-$137,000 Greater Than $137,000.
Employees may participate in a voluntary wellness program and get a $40 a month reduction in health insurance
premiums. The program involves filling out a survey about individual health risk factors and agreeing to occasional
phone calls if any health improvement goals are identified. The university offers free tuition to dependents for a first
undergraduate degree and up to 6 credit hours/semester for employees. Employees ride free on city buses by showing
university ID. Employees may apply for interest free loans for computer hardware and software. Employees get free
membership at local art museum.
Employees who work between 20 and 29 hours per week are eligible for health insurance, but the employee must pay
the employer’s premium portion. When an employee begins work, he/she may choose for health, life, and accidental
death and dismemberment insurance to begin either the first of the month following the employee’s start date or the
first of the month after that. This means that the employee could be covered on his/her second day of work if he/
she starts work on the last day of the month. For the PPO program, the maximum out-of-pocket expenses for out-of-
network care is $19,500.
PPO out of pocket expenses single and family coverage include deductibles. If not, then 1,000.
The library has staff that are non-bargaining, as well as staff represented by three other union contracts. This survey
describes the non-bargaining benefits which, in some cases, vary significantly from the union negotiated benefits.
When viewing the university Benefits Web pages it is important to know that there are three categories of staff:
academic staff, support staff, and a group of senior administrative staff called Management and Professional staff.
