ARTICLE 18 - HEALTH AND WELFARE
Section 1. Group Health and Accident Insurance.
Employees shall continue to be covered under the State’s Group Health and Accident Insurance plan pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 32A of the General Laws as amended or as such plan may be made available under applicable laws of the Commonwealth.
Section 2. Health and Welfare Plan
A. Creation of Trust Agreement
The parties have agreed to establish a Health and Welfare Trust Fund under an Agreement and Declaration of Trust drafted by the Employer and executed by the Union and the Employer. Such Agreement and Declaration of Trust (hereinafter referred to as the “trust agreement”) provides for a Board of Trustees composed of an equal number of representatives of the Employer and the Union.
The Board of Trustees of the Health and Welfare Trust Fund shall determine in their discretion and within the terms of this Agreement and the Agreement and Declaration of Trust such health and welfare benefits to be extended by the Health and Welfare Trust Fund to employees and/or their dependents.
B. Funding
The Employer will contribute on behalf of each full-time employee equivalent a total of eleven dollars ($11.00) per calendar week.
Effective July 2, 2006, the Employer will contribute on behalf of each full-time equivalent employee a total of twelve dollars ($12.00) per calendar week.
The amount of contributions for each year shall be based on the number of full-time equivalent employees as of the last payroll period in October. The contributions made by the Employer to the Health and Welfare Trust Fund shall not be used for any purpose other than to provide health and welfare benefits and to pay the operating and administrative expenses of the fund. The contributions shall be made by the Employer in an aggregate sum within forty-five (45) days following the end of the calendar month during which contributions were collected.
C. Non-Grievability
No dispute over a claim for any benefits extended by this Health and Welfare Trust Fund shall be subject to the grievance procedure established in any collective bargaining Agreement between the Employer and the Union.
D. Employer’s Liability
It is expressly agreed and understood that the Employer does not accept, nor is the Employer to be charged with, any responsibility in any manner connected with the determination of liability to any employee claiming under any of the benefits extended by the Health and Welfare Trust Fund. The liability of the Employer shall be limited to the contributions indicated in this Section 2.