HomeMy WebLinkAboutContract 52680 E,
RECEIVED CITY SECRETARY
AUG 2 12019 CONTMCTNO. !Wo$0
CCT/SECRETO�FORT ARY Healthcare Contract (Amended)
This Healthcare Contract ("Agreement") is entered into between the City of Fort Worth
(the "City") and the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association (the "Association") as an
addendum to the 2018-2022 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Parties and any
successor collectively bargained agreements between the Parties. The Association and the City
collectively are referred to herein as the "Parties."
WHEREAS, the City currently makes contributions for Recruits, Fire Fighters, Pre-
Medicare Retirees, Medicare Retirees and their eligible spouses and dependents to participate in
the City's Healthcare Plans; and
WHEREAS, the Association has proposed that the City agree to allow the Association to
continue to provide a separately administered and funded healthcare plan for the Covered
Populations, as defined below with the City retaining coverage obligations for Medicare
Retirees; and
WHEREAS, the Association intends to continue to operate a tax-exempt Trust (the
"Trust") for the purpose of funding a healthcare plan to the Covered Populations; and
WHEREAS, the Association's proposal requires the City to continue to contribute an
amount of money as calculated by the City to be placed in the Trust periodically; and
WHEREAS, although the City may continue to offer some benefits to some or all of the
Covered Populations to the extent such benefits are not available under the Trust, the Trust will
be the only avenue for the Covered Populations to obtain those benefits that are provided or
offered by the Trust; and
WHEREAS, for each full or partial calendar/plan year in which this Agreement remains
in effect, the City will be relieved from, and the Trust will be solely responsible for, providing a
healthcare plan for members of the Covered Populations who would have qualified for coverage
under the City's Healthcare Plan during that year.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises and agreements
contained herein, including the recitals set forth above,the Parties agree as follows:
Section 1. Definitions.
a. "Board of Trustees" means the governing body of the Trust as detailed in the
Trust Agreement, attached hereto as Exhibit A.
b. "Business Day" shall mean a day on which Fort Worth City Hall is open to the
public and shall exclude Saturdays, Sundays, and City holidays.
C. "City Contributions" means funds provided by the City for purposes of
subsidizing healthcare benefits of the Covered Populations. Such contribution rmay
OFFICIAL.RECORD
1. CITY SECRETARY
FT. WORTH,TX
for voluntary benefits. It does not include money deducted from the pay of active Fire Fighters
or Recruits for healthcare premiums that is remitted to the Trust for the Local 440 Benefit
Plan(s).
d. "City Healthcare Plan" means the healthcare plan that the City offers to retired
employees, eligible spouses and dependents, as amended from time to time.
e. "City Subsidy"means the rate table reflecting each plan design for actives, retires,
spouses, dependents and each combination thereof a developed for the City's Healthcare Plan
each year.
f. "Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and regulations
adopted thereunder. The term includes any subsequent amendments to or successors of those
statutes or regulations.
g. "Covered Populations" means Recruits, Fire Fighters, Future Retirees, Pre-
Medicare Retirees, Eligible Spouses, and Eligible Dependents eligible to receive healthcare and
other benefits under this Agreement. The term does not include Medicare Retirees. The term
also does not include any Pre-Medicare Retiree, whether single or part of a married couple, who
has chosen to not enroll in the Local 440 Benefit Plan, nor their eligible spouse and eligible
dependents.
h. "Effective Date"means May 1, 2018.
i. "Eligible Dependent" means a legal dependent (other than an Eligible Spouse)
who would be eligible for coverage on the City's Healthcare Plan due to the person's
relationship to a Recruit, Fire Fighter, Future Retiree, or Pre-Medicare Retiree.
j. "Eligible Spouse" means a legal spouse who would be eligible for coverage on
the City's Healthcare Plan due to the person's relationship to a Recruit, Fire Fighter, Future
Retiree, or Pre-Medicare Retiree.
lc. "Fire Fighter" means any active employee and member of the bargaining unit
represented by the Association.
1. "Future Retiree" means any Fire Fighter who had not retired before the
ratification of the initial Agreement in 2018 and is thereby governed by the terms of the 2014
Collective Bargaining or successor agreements and retires from the City on or after the Effective
Date.
in. "Health Savings Account Plan" or "HSA Plan," also known as a high deductible
healthcare plan, means one in which a participating member pays a higher-than-normal
deductible in exchange for a lower premium cost and, in the case of the City's HSA Plan,
incorporates a health savings account funded with pre-tax contributions by the participant and/or
employer with the balance in the account for use in paying qualified medical expenses in
accordance with the Code.
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n. "Local 440 Benefit Plan" shall mean the plan provided to the Covered
Populations under this Agreement, which will include medical, pharmacy, and dental benefits,
and may include other benefits and products related to physical or mental health.
o. "Medicare Retiree" means any former Fire Fighter who retired from a position
within the bargaining unit represented by the Association before the Transition Date and who, as
of the Transition Date, meets the age requirement for Medicare or is otherwise eligible to receive
current Medicare benefits. The term includes an Eligible Spouse or Eligible Dependent of a
Medicare Retiree.
P. "Post-Transition Claims" means all claims incurred on or after the Transition
Date that are the responsibility of the new plan. Hospitalizations or other inpatient treatments
commenced on or after the Transition Date shall be considered to be Post-Transition claims.
q. "Pre-Medicare Retiree" means any former Fire Fighter who retired from a
position within the bargaining unit represented by the Association before the Transition Date and
who as of the Transition Date had not yet met the age requirement to be eligible for Medicare.
r. "Recruit" shall mean any employee of the City of Fort Worth who is participating
in a City of Fort Worth Fire Fighter Training Academy and who is covered by this Healthcare
Contract as a condition of employment and will be represented by.the Association upon
graduation, both as a consequence of Texas Local Government Code 174.001 et seq.
S. "Third-Party Administrator" or "TPA" means an organization that processes
medical or healthcare claims or certain aspects of employee benefit plans offered by the Trust
and the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s).
t. "Transition Date" means the date of January 1, 2019 on which coverage for
Recruits, Fire Fighters, Future Retirees, Pre-Medicare Retirees, Eligible Spouses, and Eligible
Dependents shifted to the Trust in accordance with Section 5.
Section 2. Coverage and the Provider.
a. The Association and the City entered into the initial Agreement in 2018 to
obligate the Association to take appropriate steps to create a Trust that would administer a
healthcare plan for the Covered Populations and allow the Trust formed by the Association to
offer a dental plan and other voluntary benefits that may include vision, disability, and life
insurance. All of the Covered Populations who are eligible to participate in the Local 440
Benefit Plan(s) will be excluded from the City's Healthcare Plan's offerings with the exception
of benefits identified in Section 2.c.
b. The City shall allow the Trust to participate as a sub-organization under the City's
dental plan so long as the plan mirrors the City's exactly, the cost is billed separately to the
Trust, and the arrangement is reasonable for all parties.
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C. The City shall continue to provide an Employee Assistance Program to Fire
Fighters and Recruits and their Eligible Spouses and Eligible Dependents, if provided by the City
to other active employees and their eligible spouse and dependents.
d. The City shall continue to provide to active Fire Fighters and Recruits coverage
under basic life insurance at the City's expense if provided by the City to other active employees.
C. In accordance with the requirements of the Code, the City shall continue to
administer any Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts (respectively, "HSA"
and "FSA") for eligible Fire Fighters, Recruits, and Pre-Medicare Retirees if provided by the
City to other active employees. All third-party administration costs related to administering
HSAs and FSAs for eligible members of the Covered Populations will be deducted from the City
Contributions as detailed below.
f. Benefits described in Sections 2.b through 2.d are subject to change or
discontinuation at any time in the discretion of the City. Availability to Covered Populations
shall be contingent on benefits being available to other active City employees.
Section 3. The Trust.
a. The Association shall continue to operate a tax-exempt trust (the "Trust") in
compliance with all State and Federal laws and with the sole purpose to fund and administer the
Local 440 Benefit Plan(s) for the Covered Populations. The Trust must obtain Internal Revenue
Service approval for the Trust to function as a tax-exempt, non-profit entity, provided, however
that such approval is not a prerequisite to execution or implementation of this Agreement or the
transition of Covered Populations to the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s).
b. The Trust is prohibited from providing benefits to any persons outside of the
Covered Populations contemplated by this Agreement. However, the Parties acknowledge and
agree that a future, mutually agreed healthcare contract and/or collective bargaining agreement
may expand the concept of Covered Populations and allow the Association and/or Trust to
provide a healthcare plan or other benefits for Medicare Retirees, their eligible spouses and
dependents, or others.
C. The instrument governing the Trust shall be consistent with the form and content
of the Trust Agreement attached as Exhibit A. The Trust shall limit investment options to those
authorized by the Trust's duly adopted Investment Policy Statement, which shall be provided to
the City for approval at least 30 days before adoption. The Trust shall prevent prohibited
transactions such as loans and excess compensation.
d. The Trust shall not compensate any member of the Covered Populations for
managing the Trust; however, this provision does not prohibit the Board of Trustees from hiring
member liaisons who have the limited responsibility of explaining plan benefits, addressing open
enrollment questions, and directing participants to appropriate vendors for issue resolution. In
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addition, this provision does not prohibit the Board of Trustees from hiring and compensating an
appropriate number of staff who are not members of the Covered Populations to manage the
affairs of the Trust.
e. Expenditures from the Trust for travel, training, and conferences for the purpose
of fulfilling the Board of Trustees' responsibilities to the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s) shall be
limited to destinations in the United States. Where feasible or practical, the Trustees shall
participate in organizations and meetings located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas to
minimize travel and related expenses. All travel and training shall comply with a formal Travel
and Training Policy adopted by the Board of Trustees that places appropriate limits on
frequency, duration and cost of travel.
f. The City recognizes that the Trust will incur administrative expenses, including
broker and benefit-administrator fees, related to providing healthcare coverage, and Trust assets
may be used for purposes of paying such expenses. All administrative expenses shall be
accounted for separately and/or disclosed on Schedule C of Form 5500.
g. The City also recognizes that the Association may offer certain health and
wellness related voluntary benefits that may be administered as part of the Trust. Any provision
by the Association of voluntary benefits may be included in the Trust but must be funded and
accounted for separately from the City Contributions.
h. The Association will invite an employee of the City designated by the City
Manager to participate as an ex ex-officio member at all regular and specially called meetings of
the Board of Trustees; however, said designee will not have a voting position or assume any
fiduciary responsibility for the City in the management of the Trust or administration of the
Local 440 Benefit Plan(s). The ex-officio member will be given at least 30 days advance notice
of any regularly scheduled meeting, and at least seven days advance notice of any special
meeting, and receive a copy of all materials provided to the Board of Trustees related to the
management of the Trust in the same manner as other Trustees.
i. Initially, the Trust will cover, at a minimum, all of the Covered Populations who
would be eligible for coverage under the City's Healthcare Plan as of the Transition Date. For
future years, the Trust will cover, at a minimum, all of the Covered Populations who would be
eligible for coverage as determined by the City each year. All other healthcare plan decisions,
including but not limited to, the level of coverage, who is covered (with or without City subsidy
as determined by this Agreement), and the amount to be paid by the Covered Populations, will be
made by the Trust, provided the level of coverage meets the requirements of minimum essential
coverage under section 4980H of the Code or any successor thereto. The Association and the
Trust acknowledge and agree that the City is not taking any claims risk, and that the sole
responsibility of the City is to pay the agreed-upon City Contributions. All decisions related to
the healthcare and related benefits for the Covered Populations will be made by the Trust.
Under no circumstances shall any action or decision of the Association or the Trust, including
but not limited to providing additional subsidies to participants in the Local 440 Benefit
Plan(s), be construed or interpreted to alter the obligations of the City to the Covered
Populations in the event of a return to the City's Healthcare Plans under Section S.
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j. The Trust, either directly or through its advisors, shall: (1) contract for fiduciary
liability coverage, that includes coverage for errors and omissions of the Trustees with a
minimum annual coverage amount of$1,000,000.00; (2) contract with a licensed trust company
or other financial institution to hold the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s) assets in the name of the Trust;
(3) contract with a third party administrator ("TPA") who is duly licensed and in good standing
in the state of Texas to administer the Trust, which may include the payment of claims; (4) put in
place a fidelity bond with coverage in an amount that is equal to $500,000 covering all persons
who handle the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s) assets.
k. Funds transferred by the City to the Trust pursuant to the 2014 Collective
Bargaining Agreement ("CBA") Article 15, as amended, or any successor CBA, must be
segregated from other Trust funds and used for the sole benefit of participants who were hired on
or after January 1, 2009, and who subsequently retired from the City.
1. The Association agrees that every duty or obligation of the Trust that is stated in
this Agreement, including, but not limited to, the obligations to indemnify, hold harmless and
defend the City, is also a duty or obligation of the Association. If the Trust fails or refuses to
timely perform any such duty or obligation, the City may require the Association to take action
to satisfy such duty or obligation, and the Association can satisfy the Trust's duty or obligation
by either fully performing that duty or obligation itself, or by causing the Trust to fully perform
the duty or obligation.
in. The Association shall retain all responsibility and liability for the collective
bargaining obligations incidental to funding for the Trust and their obligations under the
"appointing fiduciary" doctrine with regard to any Trustee appointed or elected by the
Association.
Section 4. City Contributions and Adjustments to Payments from City.
a. All of the City Contributions will be used only for the purposes of providing
benefits to the Covered Populations that are permitted under the rules and regulations of the
Internal Revenue Service adopted pursuant to Code Section 501(c)(9).
b. For purposes of determining the City subsidy level for each plan, it will be
assumed that:
i. The City's HSA Plan and its successors is equivalent to the Association's
HSA plan; and
ii. The City's Health Center Plan and its successors is equivalent to the
Association's non-HSA plan.
C. The City Subsidy will reflect the amount that the City would have contributed
(excluding amounts paid by employees) for each enrolled member of the Covered Populations
had they enrolled in the City Healthcare Plan. The subsidy rate for each City Healthcare Plan
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will be computed annually and used to determine the City Contributions for the corresponding
Local 440 Benefit Plan.
d. The City Subsidy for calendar year 2019 was calculated based on the City
actuary's 2018 plan year rate schedule for General Employees, Police, and Fire Actives and
Retirees, plus 3%. In subsequent years, the City Subsidy shall be based on an actuary's rate
workup for the upcoming plan year that is supported by monthly paid claims and administration
costs for General Employees and Police. Changes to the City Subsidy for purposes of calculating
the City Contributions in calendar years after 2019 will be limited to an annual increase or
decrease of +/- 3%. In the event that, during the term of this contract, either the General
Employees or Police are no longer.part of the City's Healthcare Plan, both parties agree to
negotiate in good faith the basis of the new base calculation for the City Subsidy, and the +/- 3%
limitation will not apply. Upon mutual agreement of the new City Subsidy, the City
Contributions in future calendar years will be limited to an annual increase or decrease of+/-
3%.
e. The City Contributions will be limited to members of the Covered Populations
who would otherwise be eligible to participate in the City's Healthcare Plan as determined by the
City for each plan year. For example, the parties understand and agree that if the City decides to
discontinue coverage for working spouses, the Trust can continue to cover such persons under
the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s), but the City Contributions will not include any money attributable
to the cost of coverage for working spouses during the time that working spouses would not
otherwise be eligible for coverage under the City's Healthcare Plan.
f. In order to calculate the City Contributions, on a monthly basis, the City will
(i) multiply the City Subsidy times the number of actual enrollees in the corresponding Local
440 Benefit Plan; and(ii) make the following adjustments:
i. The City Subsidy for the 2019 plan year was reduced by 13.3% and in
each future year, the then-current subsidy will be reduced by 15.2%. The intent of these
reductions is to ensure the City does not pay more to provide coverage for Covered
Populations under the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s) than it would under the City's
Healthcare Plans with such percentages reflecting the fact that a member of the Covered
Populations generally costs the City less than the hypothetical "average" City Healthcare
Plan participant. The percentages are calculated on the basis of annualized 2017 claims
projections for the Covered Populations;
ii. The City Contributions will be reduced by the third-party administrative
costs and/or insurance premiums associated with any benefits and services that the
Covered Populations continue to receive from the City, including, but not limited to, life
insurance, HSA and FSA administration, and Employees' Assistance Program;
iii. Deduction of the City's annual HSA contributions beginning in
plan/calendar 2019; and
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iv. The City Contributions will be reduced by any additional administrative
and premium costs incurred by the City as a result of the Covered Populations being
removed and excluded from the City's Healthcare Plans, thereby reducing the number of
covered lives and increasing the City's per-covered-life cost for its remaining plan
participants; such costs include but are not limited to those associated with third-party
administration, pharmacy benefit management, voluntary dental insurance, and voluntary
disability insurance.
The actual amount of the City Contributions shall be calculated each month to reflect the actual
number of participants in the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s) who would have been eligible for
coverage in the City's Healthcare Plan during that plan year and who are enrolled in the Local
440 Benefit Plan(s) as of the first day of the month.
g. While this Agreement is in effect, if the City adopts reference-based pricing,
resulting in quantifiable reductions in the City Subsidy, the City will negotiate in good faith with
the Association to maintain the City's Contribution without regard to these savings. That
notwithstanding, if the City adopts reference-based pricing, the 3%+- corridor described in
Section 4d shall continue to apply.
h. In the event that the City determines it is necessary to deposit funds into the
City's active or retiree healthcare funds to restore fund balance or to adopt a mid-year
supplemental appropriation due to the cost of excess claims, the City is not responsible for
making a similar supplemental appropriation to the Local 440 Benefit Plan. Since the Trust
solely controls the Local 440 Benefit Plan, City Contributions will be limited to the calculations
outlined in Section 4 and the Trust will be responsible for ensuring the sustainability of the plan
design based on that City Contribution.
i. The Association will be responsible for confirming the eligibility and actual
participation/enrollment of the Covered Populations and reporting such information to the City
on a timely basis. The Association shall provide affidavits, as requested by the City, from
members of the Covered Populations to verify whether they would be eligible for coverage or
not under the City's Healthcare Plan, including for non-working retirees or retiree spouses, to
support the monthly calculation of the City Contribution. If the City is otherwise performing a
dependent audit of its other health plans,the Trustees may elect to include the Trust's health care
plans in such dependent audit programs,provided that the City gives 60 day advance notice to
the Trust and the Union of the upcoming dependent audit. If the Trustees elect not to participate
in the City's dependent audit verification program, the Trust shall establish its own dependent
verification audit program on the same timeline or intervals as the City's health plans.
j. The City will directly bill the Trust for the City's actual costs for each item listed
below unless the parties mutually agree by a separate letter agreement to allow compensation for
administrative costs in another manner. The City shall allow payments from the Trust to be made
in equal parts for the remaining months of the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s) year in which the bill is
sent.
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i. Direct expenses of the City paid to a third party in facilitating the
implementation and on-going operation of the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s), including but
not limited to, technology, file interfaces and legal costs;
I For 2019, the City's required contributions to HSA accounts with the
amount billed to the Trust reduced by a prorated amount reflecting the number of months
that the member of the Covered Populations was on the City's Healthcare Plan.
iii. Members of the Covered Populations will not be eligible for participation
in the City's Wellness Program in 2019 or beyond because a primary intent of the
Program is to reduce and control claim costs for participants on the City's self-funded
healthcare plan.
k. Since fewer than 100% of all retirees eligible to participate in the Local 440
Benefit Plan have waived their rights to access to the City Healthcare Plan, the City and the
Association agree that the City will continue to offer the City Healthcare Plan to those individuals
who did not choose to participate in the Local 440 Benefit Plan so long as they are eligible.
The parties have agreed to an annual reconciliation of the costs of retirees who remain covered by
the City Healthcare Plan instead of the Local 440 Benefit Plan, namely for coverage of.
(i) any Pre-Medicare Retiree who did not choose to enroll in the Local 440
Benefit Plan and remained on or enrolled in the City Healthcare Plan; and
(ii) any Retiree who is part of a married couple (one of whom is Medicare-
eligible and one of whom is not Medicare-eligible) that has chosen to not
enroll the Pre-Medicare spouse in the Local 440 Benefit Plan and, as a
result, will have split coverage for those two spouses between City
Medicare and the City Healthcare Plan.
The annual reconciliation of costs shall be done as follows:
No later than 180 days after the end of the plan year, City will determine the
claims incurred and amounts actually paid by the City under the City's Healthcare Plan
for the calendar year. The City will also determine any employer and employee premium
payments owed for such coverage period.
After reconciling the premium payments and claims incurred and paid by the
City's Healthcare Plan (not otherwise paid by the City Healthcare Plan's stop-loss
carrier), the City will remit to the Trust any surplus employer/employee premiums, if
any, in excess of the claims incurred(and actually paid by the reconciliation date).
In the event that for a particular calendar year claims exceed the annual
employer/employee premiums associated with any member of this group, the City will
not pay to the Trust any surplus premiums for that calendar year, and instead will
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withhold from future premiums otherwise payable to the Trust (payable at least 30 days
after the reconciliation is provided to the Local Association and Trustees of the Trust) a
sum of money equal to the amount by which the adjusted claims paid exceeded the
premiums collected for the group. In determining the adjusted claims costs, only claims
up to the aggregate and individual stop-loss attachment rates /factors established by the
Local 440 Benefit Plan for the year in which the claims were incurred shall be included.
Any reimbursement amounts received via third-party reimbursements/
subrogation claims shall first reimburse the City for any retained claims in excess of the
Association's stop loss limits (not credited in the previous paragraph). If additional
reimbursements are available,the Association Healthcare Plan will be credited for that
amount to the year in which the claims were incurred, rather than when the
reimbursements were paid and resulting adjusting payments between the parties shall be
included in the next subsequent annual adjustment following the subrogation claim
reimbursement.
1. In the event of a dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or relating in any
way to this Agreement, the complaining Party shall notify the other Party in writing thereof.
Within thirty (30) days of such notice, management-level representatives of both Parties shall
meet at an agreed location to attempt to resolve the dispute in good faith. Should the dispute not
be resolved within thirty (30) days after such notice, the Parties will attempt to resolve any
disputed issues through mediation, using a mediator whose principal office is in the Dallas-Fort
Worth metropolitan area. If the Parties cannot agree to a mediator, the choice of mediator will be
determined by a coin toss. If the Parties cannot resolve the disputed issues through mediation, the
Parties may, but are not required to, submit the disputed issues to binding arbitration. The
demand for arbitration by either Party shall be made within a reasonable time after the claim,
dispute or other matter in question has arisen, and in no event shall it be made after two years
from when the aggrieved Party knew or should have known of the controversy, claim, dispute or
breach. If the disputed issues are submitted to arbitration, the City and the Association may,
within ten (10) calendar days after the Parties both have agreed to submit the matter to arbitration,
mutually agree to a neutral arbitrator whose principal office is in the Dallas-Fort Worth
metropolitan area. If the Parties are unable to agree on such an appointment, the City and
Association shall, within five (5) calendar days,jointly request a list of seven (7) arbitrators from
the American Arbitration Association or the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Within
ten (10) calendar days following receipt of the list of arbitrators, the Parties shall select an
arbitrator by each Party in turn striking one name from the list until only one (1) name remains.
The remaining individual on the list shall serve as the arbitrator. The Party who makes the first
strike will be determined by a coin toss. The arbitrator so selected shall be promptly notified of
his or her selection through the agency selected, and the Parties and the arbitrator shall agree on a
time,place and date for the hearing of the arbitration. The selected agency's rules will govern the
progress of the case. The laws of the state of Texas shall be applied in any arbitration
proceedings, without regard to principles of conflict of laws. The losing Party at arbitration will
be responsible for paying the prevailing Parry's arbitration-related costs, including the arbitrator's
and agency's fees. However, each Party shall be responsible for paying its own attorney's fees.
If the Parties agree to arbitration, arbitration will be deemed to be final and binding, and an
election of remedies. Any appeal of an arbitrator's decision in this procedure shall be strictly and
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solely limited to the grounds that the arbitrator exceeded their authority and jurisdiction as
provided under this Agreement; that the decision of the arbitrator was procured by fraud or
collusion or that the arbitrator's decision is based upon a clear and manifest error of law. The
parties agree that, in the event either party declines to participate in binding arbitration, venue for
any dispute arising under this Agreement shall be in the state District Courts of Tarrant County,
Texas. The parties further agree that this Agreement is subject to Subchapter I, Chapter 271,
Texas Local Government Code.
M. The City can review, on an annual basis, its workers' compensation medical and
pharmacy claims made by Recruits and Fire Fighters and, if the City determines that its claims
experience with workers' compensation claims has resulted in increased workers' compensation
medical and pharmacy costs for what have traditionally been considered to be a normal disease
of life, and not a workers' compensation-covered illness, the City can require that the City and
the Association re-calculate the City's Contributions on a prospective basis.
n. The City Contribution will be made to the Trust no later than seven (7) Business
Days following each published City payday for active employees. The City Contribution will be
made to the Trust no later than seventh business day of each month for Retirees covered by the
Local 440 Benefit Plan. The Trust will be required to receive payment of the City Contributions
via electronic or wire transfer.
o. The City will include Retirees covered by the Local 440 Benefit Plan in the
monthly enrollment file to the Employees' Retirement Fund.
P. The Trust and the City shall cooperate to reconcile contributions as needed, which
shall generally include at least one reconciliation per pay period. Any overpayments or
underpayments discovered in the reconciliation process will be resolved in the next City
Contribution cycle. However, this provision does not preclude later resolution if it cannot be
resolved by the next period or if the error is discovered later than the next pay period.
q. If the City is delinquent in remitting the City Contributions, beginning on the
fourteenth (14t") Business Day following each published City payday, the City shall pay the
Trust simple interest at the rate of 0.0137% per calendar day on the owed balance until the City
Contribution owed for that month is paid in full. This daily amount is equivalent to five percent
(5%) per annum. No interest will attach to any partial delinquency (limited to 3% of
contribution) associated with correction of errors identified during the reconciliation process.
r. All costs direct-billed to the Trust by the City shall be remitted to the City within
30 (thirty) days of the date of the invoice.
S. If the Trust is delinquent in remitting payments to the City for directly invoiced
services, beginning on the thirty-first (31") calendar day, including City holidays and weekends,
following the invoice date, the Trust shall pay the City simple interest at a rate of 0.0137% per
calendar day on the owed balance until the Trust payment owed for that month is paid in full.
This daily amount is equivalent to five percent(5%)per annum.
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t. The City will make deductions from payroll for Recruit and Fire Fighter
contributions to the Trust for benefits being received through the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s).
Where required, written authorization from the Covered Populations to allow for a pre-tax
deduction pursuant to the City's Healthcare Plan under Code Section 125 will be provided to the
City prior to the time deductions are made. The Parties will determine a procedure that
facilitates this process, allows for pre-tax deductions where appropriate, and minimizes the
administrative burden on the City.
U. The Trust shall have sole responsibility for contracting with the Fort Worth
Employees' Retirement Fund to collect premiums from Pre-Medicare Retirees and remit the
funds to the Trust, unless otherwise mutually agreed or if it becomes necessary for the City to
assume responsibility because the Fort Worth Employees' Retirement Fund is unable to perform
the necessary transactions. This sole responsibility shall include any necessary exchanges of data
in order to cause the premiums to be collected.
V. City Contributions associated with Article 15 of the collective bargaining
agreement intended'to benefit fire fighters hired on or after January 1, 2009, shall be accounted
for separately within the Trust and used exclusively for the intended purpose.
Section 5. Transition and On-Going Communication.
a. The Trust shall handle open enrollment for participants, and coordinate with the City as
appropriate for any necessary payroll deductions or other items related to the on-going
operations of the Trust. The City may communicate with participants with regard to any City
administered benefit plans and any other matter related to the City's relationship with the
Covered Populations. The Trust, in consultation with the City as appropriate, will develop any
joint communications necessary for the operations of the Trust. Otherwise, the Trust and
Association will be responsible for communications with participants, including all materials
related to summary plan descriptions, plan documents, and other similar items. All such
documents shall be subject to review by the City's ex offrcio trustee no later than fourteen (14)
days prior to distribution. The purpose of this review is to ensure accuracy of information
regarding City participation and to prepare for City administration of certain benefits and payroll
withholding consistent with this Agreement.
b. Unless otherwise agreed in this Agreement, the Association represents to the City
that member education, question responses and problem resolution will be the ultimate
responsibility of the Trust, which may engage the TPA and/or the broker hired by the Trust to
perform such tasks.
C. Within twelve (12) months of Transition Date, the Trust will provide the City
written notice from any applicable regulating agency that all required actions/approvals are in
place, or that approval is not required.
d. The standard transition processes applicable in the insurance industry when a self-
insured employer changes from one health plan to another will apply. All Post-Transition
Claims shall be the responsibility of the Local 440 Benefit Plan.
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e. Members of the Covered Populations on COBRA coverage (offered pursuant to
Federal requirements) as of the Transition Date will remain on the City's Healthcare Plan. For all
COBRA coverage (pursuant to Federal requirements) for the Covered Populations initiated on or
after that Transition Date, the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s) will have responsibility for meeting all
COBRA notification and coverage requirements.
f. For 2019, any amount of deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses incurred by
members of the Covered Populations under the City's Healthcare Plan prior to the Transition
Date, will be applied toward calculating that member's meeting of deductibles and out-of-pocket
limits on the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s) on and after the Transition Date. The City will coordinate
with the City's selected healthcare providers, currently United HealthCare and OptumRx, to
provide data on deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses incurred under the City's Healthcare
Plan prior to the Transition Date.
g. The City shall have no financial or advisory responsibility for the tax
consequences to the Covered Populations who move from the City's high-deductible plan to the
Association's basic plan. The City shall have no financial responsibility to provide a
reimbursement to the Trust for HSA contributions invoiced to the Trust for those participants on
a City high deductible plan prior to the Transition Date who do not elect a high deductible plan
with the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s).
h. Since the City collects premiums for 26 pay periods to cover 12 plan months,
there is a potential for mismatch of revenues and expenditures during the transition year. Prior to
finalization of the Transition Date, the City and the Association will agree to equitably split the
pay periods that exceed two per month to reflect the proportion of the year covered by each plan.
Section 6. Open Enrollment and Data Exchanges
a. The City shall provide necessary data files only to the Trust's TPA to accompany
each of the City Contributions, including Recruit and Fire Fighter payroll deductions. The
Association and/or Trust shall be responsible for all data file interfaces with other vendors. All
data files must meet the City's specifications for use in the City's payroll system. An illustrative
flow chart outlining this process is attached as Exhibit B but may be modified by mutual
agreement from time to time to reflect the needs of the City or the Trust.
b. Per the Internal Revenue Service, only the employer is allowed to maintain a 125
Plan authorizing pre-tax payroll deductions. Therefore, in order for the participants to make pre-
tax premium contributions through payroll deductions, the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s) will be
offered to Recruits and Fire Fighters under the City's 125 plan.
C. The Trust shall provide to the City specific plan design,premium information and
education materials for the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s) no later than sixty (60) calendar days prior
to the beginning of the initial open enrollment period and of each subsequent City open
enrollment period. Plan selection data following the Trust's open enrollment will be provided by
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the Trust to the City within thirty (30) calendar days of the conclusion of each open enrollment
or by December 1 of each year, whichever is earlier.
d. The Trust shall be responsible for the administration, and management of open
enrollment for Pre-Medicare Retirees and coordinating such open enrollment with the City of
Fort Worth Employees Retirement Fund ("ERF") for the deduction of premiums from the benefit
payments made by the ERF to Pre-Medicare Retirees.
e. The Trust shall be responsible for developing all required employee/retiree benefit
notices and customized communications necessary for open enrollment and other
communications as needed or requested.
f. The Association and the Trust are responsible for exchanging accurate and
complete required information with the City during the open enrollment period for any of the
Covered Populations. The Association and the Trust are also responsible for exchanging
accurate and complete required information with the ERF in connection with any amounts that
must be deducted from retirement benefits to pay premiums for the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s).
Section 7. Reporting Responsibilities
a. The Trust is anticipated to be deemed a component unit of the City, as defined by
the Governmental Accounting Standards Board ("GASB"), and will be reported and
administered as such.
b. The Trust shall operate on a fiscal year that coincides with the fiscal year of the
City of Fort Worth, which is currently October 1 through September 30.
C. The Trust shall operate the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s) on a plan year that coincides
with the plan year of the City of Fort Worth, which is currently January 1 through December 31.
d. Annually,the Board of Trustees shall engage an external auditor who is a licensed
Certified Public Accountant and qualified to review audited financial statements of the Trust.
The audit shall be conducted in a manner that provides compliance with auditing standards
acceptable to both the City and Trust for purposes of complying with their respective regulatory
obligations. Any finding resulting from the annual external audit, including a material weakness
or significant deficiency shall be forwarded to the City along with a corrective action plan
simultaneous with the submission of the audited financial statements.
C. The Trust shall submit the audited financial statements that are necessary for the
City's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report ("CAFR") by January 1" of each year for the
previous fiscal year.
i. All financial statements and reports shall be prepared in compliance with
Governmental Accounting Standards Board pronouncements; and the Trust
shall be responsible for implementation of any new GASB pronouncements
issued subsequent to the Effective Date of this Agreement.
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ii. The Trust shall use the City's determined measurement date for GASB
calculations and submit an annual actuarial calculation in compliance with
GASB pronouncements to the City four (4) months from the measurement
date.
f. Within 90 days of any request by the City, the Board of Trustees shall provide to
the City the necessary data for the City to prepare an actuarial valuations of the medical and
pharmacy costs for the Covered Populations that distinguish between active and retired
participants, including Incurred But Not Reported claims (IBNR). In the event that the City is
required to prepare a separate valuation for the Local 440 Benefit Plan in order to satisfy the
City's auditor, the cost will be billed directly to the Trust following the provision of a cost
estimate to the Trust prior to the commencement of the work.
g. The Ex-Offrcio Trustee appointed by the City shall have access to the same
financial information about the Trust's operations as other Trustees, including access to the
financial records, contracts, or other operating aspects of the Trust. To the extent feasible, the
City's Internal and External Auditor shall rely on the work performed by the Trust's independent
auditor with regard to the Trust's financial statements and related activities. To the extent such
work performed is insufficient, the City shall provide notice to the Trust of the additional records
/or financial reports to be reviewed by the Trust's auditor, or the additional records necessary for
the City's auditor to review any financial activity of the Trust.
h. The Trust shall provide an Annual Report as noted in the Trust document that
includes information required by the US Department of Labor incidental to the Trust's annual
Form 5500 filing..
i. Within 90 days after the conclusion of the Plan year, the Trust and the City shall
share through a mutually agreeable third-party full claims data from the respective TPAs
including, but not limited to, medical, pharmacy, and dental benefits. The purpose will be to
evaluate the success of reference-based pricing and any future applicability to either the Trust's
or the City's Healthcare Plan.
j. Within 90 days after the conclusion of Plan years 2020 and 2021, the Trust shall
provide to the City unidentified claims by Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code in order
to analyze differences in claims experience by group in preparation for future City Contribution
calculations for subsequent Collective Bargaining Agreements.
k. The Board of Trustees shall be responsible for compliance with all Federal and
State legal requirements applicable to the Trust, including but not limited to reporting
obligations,privacy and security obligations, and fiduciary duties.
1. Prior to the Transition Date and thereafter on an annual basis, no later than
January 1 st the Board of Trustees shall provide to the City certificates of coverage for the fidelity
bond, and fiduciary coverage that shall include liability coverage for Trustees, as well as any
15
errors and omissions coverage protecting the assets of and participants in the Local 440 Benefit
Plan(s) and the Trust.
in. The Board of Trustees shall notify the City within thirty (30) calendar days of the
date on which the Trust receives a complaint or grievance filed by a member of the Covered
Populations related to the Trust's coverage or benefits, or of any notice, investigation or inquiry
from a state or federal government agency regarding the Trust or its operations.
n. The Board of Trustees shall notify the City within three (3) Business Days of the
date on which the Board first becomes aware of any actual or alleged theft or misappropriation of
Trust assets.
Section 8. Coverage if Trust Fails to Provide Coverage.
a. The Parties agree that if the Trust is unable to provide healthcare coverage at any
level for any of the Covered Populations, at any time, for any reason, the Covered Populations
will be eligible to resume participation in the City's Healthcare Plan on a prospective basis after
the City is notified by the Association and the City establishes an administratively feasible
effective date for the return of the Covered Populations to the City's Healthcare Plan (the
"Return Effective Date"). The cost to the Covered Populations, will be based on the then-existing
rates for similarly-situated employees, and eligible spouses and/or dependents. Any subsidy of
the cost for coverage under the City's Healthcare Plan will be based upon the rules governing
such type of coverage that are in place at the Return Effective Date.
b. If any of the Covered Populations become eligible to return to the City's
Healthcare Plan, under the circumstance described in paragraph 8(a), above, the City shall have
no liability for, nor be required to pay for, any healthcare received by the Covered Populations
prior to the Return Effective Date.
C. If any of the Covered Populations will be eligible to return to the City's
Healthcare Plan, under the circumstance described in paragraph 8(a), above, and the City has
already paid to the Trust the City Contributions for that member of the Covered Populations for
the month that includes the Return Effective Date, the member of the Covered Populations will
not be entitled to rejoin the City's Healthcare Plan, until either: (1) the member of the Covered
Populations or the Trust repays the City the amount of money paid by the City, by or on behalf
of the member of the Covered Populations, for that member of the Covered Populations'
healthcare coverage for that month; or (2) the first day of the next month of eligibility, provided
that the member of the Covered Populations pays the City in advance all amounts owed for
coverage under the City's Healthcare Plan for that month. If a member of the Covered
Populations does not make such financial arrangement to return to the City's Healthcare Plan,
the member of the Covered Populations shall no longer be eligible for City healthcare coverage,
until the next open enrollment for the City's Healthcare Plan.
d. Prior to the re-enrollment of any member of the Covered Populations, the Trust
shall provide all necessary data including a minimum of the prior twenty-four (24) months of
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claims, enrollment census, COBRA coverage enrollees, and all Trust records for such member of
the Covered Populations.
Section 9. Legal.
a. The Trust will comply with all applicable state and federal laws. Without limiting
the foregoing, this includes HIPAA, COBRA, and PPACA. The Association shall retain all
responsibility and liability for the collective bargaining obligations incidental to funding for the
Trust and their obligations under the "appointing fiduciary" doctrine with regard to any Trustee
appointed or elected by the Association.
b. Because on-going administration of the City's Healthcare Plan and benefits plans
and the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s) may necessitate the sharing of protected health information, or
PHI, the City, the Association, and the Trust will execute one or more business associate
agreements, in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit C, that allow for mutual access
of PHI in accordance with federal law.
Section 10. INDEMNIFICATION
a. THE CITY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE (INCLUDING FIDUCIARY
RESPONSIBILITY) FOR-ANY OF THE ACTIONS OF THE ASSOCIATION OR THE
TRUST. THE TRUST SHALL DEFEND, INDEMNIFY, AND HOLD HARMLESS THE
CITY FROM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY THAT RELATES IN ANY WAY TO THE
OPERATION OF THE TRUST OR PROVIDING HEALTH CARE BENEFITS TO THE
COVERED POPULATIONS. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, THE TRUST
SHALL DEFEND, INDEMNIFY, AND HOLD HARMLESS THE CITY FROM ANY
AND ALL LIABILITY RELATING TO CLAIMS THAT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY
OF THE TRUST.
IN THE EVENT THE TRUST HAS INSUFFICIENT ASSETS TO PERFORM ITS
OBLIGATIONS, UNDER THIS AGREEMENT, THE ASSOCIATION WILL DEFEND,
INDEMNIFY, AND HOLD HARMLESS THE CITY FROM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY
THAT RELATES IN ANY WAY TO THE OPERATION OF THE TRUST OR THE
ASSOCIATION.
b. THE ASSOCIATION, AT ITS SOLE COST AND EXPENSE, HEREBY
AGREES TO DEFEND,INDEMNIFY, PROTECT,AND HOLD HARMLESS THE CITY
AND THE CITY'S OFFICERS, REPRESENTATIVES, AGENTS EMPLOYEES, AND
SERVANTS (COLLECTIVELY, "INDEMNITEES") FOR, FROM AND AGAINST ANY
AND ALL CLAIMS, LIABILITIES, DAMAGES, LOSSES, LIENS, CAUSES OF
ACTION, SUITS, JUDGMENTS AND EXPENSES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED
TO, COURT COSTS, ATTORNEYS' FEES AND COSTS OF INVESTIGATION), OF
ANY NATURE, KIND OR DESCRIPTION ARISING OR ALLEGED TO ARISE BY
REASON OF ANY CLAIM, CAUSE OF ACTION OR LOSS: (1) RELATING TO ANY
DECISION MADE OR ACTION TAKEN BY THE ASSOCIATION, THE TRUST, OR
THE BOARDS OR OFFICERS OF EITHER; (2) BY REASON OF ANY OTHER CLAIM
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WHATSOEVER OF ANY PERSON OR PARTY OCCASIONED OR ALLEGED TO BE
OCCASIONED IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY ANY ACT OR OMISSION RELATED TO
THE HEALTHCARE PLAN ON THE PART OF THE ASSOCIATION, THE TRUST OR
ANY OF SUCH PARTIES' BOARD OR OFFICERS, REPRESENTATIVES, AGENTS,
SERVANTS, EMPLOYEES, OR CONTRACTORS, INCLUDING THE TPA AND ANY
BROKER HIRED BY THE ASSOCIATION, TRUST, OR TPA; (3) RELATING TO ANY
HEALTHCARE SERVICES RENDERED, EXPENSES INCURRED, OR PREMIUMS
OWED PRIOR TO THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF A MEMBER OF THE COVERED
POPULATIONS' RETURN TO THE CITY'S HEALTH PLAN; (4) FAILURE OF THE
TRUST OR ASSOCIATION TO COMPLY WITH ALL APPLICABLE STATE AND
FEDERAL LAWS; AND (5) RELATING TO THE INSOLVENCY OF THE TRUST, OR
THE TRUST HAVING INSUFFICIENT FUNDS IN THE TRUST TO PAY PREMIUMS
OR COVER THE COST OF CARE FOR ANY MEMBER OF THE COVERED
POPULATIONS.
C. Each member of the Covered Populations eligible to enroll in the Local 440
Benefit Plan(s), at each open enrollment, whether administered by the City or the Trust,
shall be required to acknowledge and agree to the following as a condition of enrolling in
the Local 440 Benefit Plan(s):
I AGREE AT MY SOLE COST AND EXPENSE, TO DEFEND, INDEMNIFY,
PROTECT, AND HOLD HARMLESS CITY AND THE CITY'S OFFICERS,
REPRESENTATIVES, AGENTS EMPLOYEES, AND SERVANTS (COLLECTIVELY,
"INDEMNITEES") FOR, FROM AND AGAINST ANY AND ALL CLAIMS,
LIABILITIES, DAMAGES, LOSSES, LIENS, CAUSES OF ACTION, SUITS,
JUDGMENTS AND EXPENSES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, COURT
COSTS, ATTORNEYS' FEES AND COSTS OF INVESTIGATION), OF ANY NATURE,
KIND OR DESCRIPTION ARISING OR ALLEGED TO ARISE BY REASON OF ANY
CLAIM, CAUSE OF ACTION OR LOSS: (1) RELATING TO ANY CLAIM BY ME, MY
ELIGIBLE SPOUSE OR DEPENDENT(S) THAT THE DECISION TO PARTICIPATE
IN THE LOCAL 440 BENEFIT PLAN(S) IS UNENFORCEABLE, VOID OR VOIDABLE
AS TO ME OR SUCH ELIGIBLE SPOUSE OR ELIGIBLE DEPENDENT; (2)
RELATING TO ANY HEALTHCARE SERVICES RENDERED TO, EXPENSES
INCURRED BY, OR PREMIUMS OWED BY ME, MY ELIGIBLE SPOUSE OR
ELIGIBLE DEPENDENT(S) WHILE COVERED UNDER THE LOCAL 440 BENEFIT
PLAN(S); (3) RELATING TO ANY DECISION MADE OR ACTION TAKEN BY THE
TRUST, OR ITS BOARD OF TRUSTEES OR OFFICERS CONCERNING THE LOCAL
440 BENEFIT PLAN(S) CONCERNING ME, MY ELIGIBLE SPOUSE OR
DEPENDENT(S); (4) BY REASON OF ANY OTHER CLAIM WHATSOEVER
RELATED TO THE LOCAL 440 BENEFIT PLAN(S), OF ANY PERSON OR PARTY
CONCERNING ME, MY ELIGIBLE SPOUSE OR DEPENDENT(S), CAUSED OR
ALLEGED TO BE CAUSED, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, BY ANY ACT OR OMISSION
OF THE ASSOCIATION, THE TRUST OR ANY OF SUCH PARTIES' BOARD OF
TRUSTEES OR EITHER'S OFFICERS, REPRESENTATIVES, AGENTS, SERVANTS,
EMPLOYEES, OR CONTRACTORS.
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If any action or proceeding shall be brought by or against the City or any indemnitee in
connection with any such liability or claim, the Association, on notice from the City, or any
indemnitee, shall defend such action or proceeding at the expense of the Association, by or
through attorneys reasonably satisfactory to the City.
The City and the Association agree that, with respect to any legal limitations now or
hereafter in effect and affecting the validity or enforceability of the indemnification obligations
under this Section, such legal limitations are made a part of the indemnification obligation and
shall operate to amend the indemnification obligation to the minimum extent necessary to bring
the provision into conformity with the requirements of such limitations, and as so modified, the
indemnification obligation shall continue in full force and effect.
The Association agrees to notify City promptly of, and in any event no later than the fifth
(5th) Business Day after the receipt of any claim or lawsuit brought in connection with any claim
made relating to the Agreement, the Trust, the benefits provided to any member of the Covered
Populations through the Trust, or healthcare services provided to any member of the Covered
Populations pursuant to coverage provided (or supposed to be provided) under this Agreement
and/or by or through the Trust. The Association and the Trust agree to make their officers,
Board members, representatives, agents, (including TPAs and consultants) and employees
available to City, at all reasonable times, for any statements and case preparation necessary for
the defense of any claims or litigation.
Section 11. Preemption. This Agreement shall preempt any contrary provisions set forth in
Ch. 2, Art. V, Sec. 2-190 of the Fort Worth Code and Chapter 175 of the Texas Local
Government Code, provided however that nothing herein shall be construed or interpreted to
preempt Section 2-190(c) or (d) or otherwise require the City to subsidize health care coverage
for any individual who is not otherwise eligible for a subsidy.
Section 12. Term of this Agreement.
a. This Agreement (Appendix B of the 2018-2022 CBA) shall be effective upon the
Effective Date and shall remain in effect regardless of the expiration or termination of the current
CBA,and regardless of whether a new CBA is executed by the 30ffi day of September,2023.
b. This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect until September 30, 2027 , or
until such time as it is superseded by a new agreement between the Parties, whichever occurs
earlier; provided however, that in no event shall this Agreement continue in effect after September
30, 2027. This provision notwithstanding, indemnifications required by this Agreement in Section
10 shall survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement.
Section 13. Miscellaneous Provisions
a. Contract Construction. The Parties acknowledge that each Party and its counsel
have reviewed and revised this Agreement and that the normal rules of construction to the effect
that any ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in the
interpretation of this Agreement or exhibits hereto.
19
b. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid, illegal or
unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in
any way be affected or impaired.
C. Force Maj eure. If either Party is unable, either in whole or part, to fulfill its
obligations under this Agreement due to acts of God; strikes, lockouts, or other industrial
disturbances; acts of public enemies; wars; blockades; insurrections; riots; epidemics; public
health crises; earthquakes; fires; floods; restraints or prohibitions by any court, board,
department, commission, or agency of the United States or of any state; declaration of a state of
disaster or of emergency by the federal, state, county, or City government in accordance with
applicable law; issuance of a Level Orange or Level Red Alert by the United States Department
of Homeland Security; any arrests and restraints; civil disturbances; or explosions; or some other
reason beyond the Party's reasonable control (each a "Force Majeure Event"), the obligations so
affected by such Force Majeure Event will be suspended only during the continuance of such
event.
d. Fiscal Funding Limitation. In the event no funds or insufficient funds are
appropriated and budgeted or are otherwise unavailable by any means whatsoever in any fiscal
period for payments due under this contract, then the City will immediately notify the
Association of such occurrence and this Agreement shall be terminated on the last day of the
fiscal period for which appropriations were received without penalty or expense to the City of
any kind whatsoever, except to the portions of annual payments herein agreed upon for which
funds shall have been appropriated.
e. Right to Audit. The Association and the Trust agree that the City's designated
independent auditor shall, until the expiration of three (3) years after final payment under this
Agreement, have access to and the right to examine any directly pertinent books, documents,
papers and records of the Trust involving transactions relating to this Agreement. The Trust
agrees that the City's designated independent auditor shall have access during normal working
hours to all necessary facilities and shall be provided adequate and appropriate workspace in
order to conduct audits in compliance with the provisions of this section. The City shall give the
Association and the Trust reasonable advance notice of intended audits.
f. No Third-Party Beneficiaries. The provisions and conditions of this Agreement
are solely for the benefit of the City, the Association, the Trust, members of the Covered
Populations, and their lawful assigns or successors, and are not intended to create any rights,
contractual or otherwise, to any other person or entity.
g. Venue and Jurisdiction. Should any action, whether real or asserted, at law or in
equity, arise out of the execution, performance, or attempted performance of this Agreement,
venue for said action shall lie in the state district courts, Tarrant County, Texas.
h. Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be construed under and in accordance
with Texas law to the extent not otherwise preempted by ERISA (or other applicable federal
law).
20
i. Notices. Notices to be provided hereunder shall be sufficient if forwarded to the
other party by hand-delivery or via U.S. Postal Service certified mail, postage prepaid, to the
address of the other party shown below:
If to City: If to Association:
City of Fort Worth IAFF Local 440
Attn: Asst. City Manager of HR and Benefits Attn: President
200 Texas Street 3855 Tulsa Way
Fort Worth, Texas 76102 Fort Worth, Texas 76107-3345
j. Paragraph Headings. The paragraph headings contained herein are for the
convenience in reference and are not intended to define or limit the scope of any provision of this
Agreement.
k. Assignment and Successors. The Association shall not assign or subcontract all
or any part of its rights, privileges, or duties under this Agreement without the prior written
consent of the City. Any attempted assignment of this Agreement without the City's prior
written approval shall be void and constitute a breach of this Agreement.
If City grants consent to an assignment, the assignee shall execute a written agreement with the
City and the Association under which the assignee agrees to be bound by the duties and
obligations of the Association under this Agreement. The Association and Assignee shall be
jointly liable for all obligations under this Agreement prior to the assignment. If the City grants
consent to a subcontract, the subcontractor shall execute a written agreement with the
Association referencing this Agreement under which the subcontractor shall agree to be bound
by the duties and obligations of the Association under this Agreement as such duties and
obligations may apply. The Association shall provide the City with a fully executed copy of any
such subcontract.
1. Compliance with Laws, Ordinances Rules and Regulations. The Association and
the Trust, their officers, agents, servants, employees, and subcontractors, shall abide by and
comply with all laws, federal, state and local, including all ordinances, rules and regulations of
the City. It is agreed and understood that, if the City calls to the attention of the Association or
the Trust any such violation on the part of the Association, the Trust or any of either's officers,
agents, servants, employees, or subcontractors, then the Association or Trust shall immediately
desist from and correct such violation. This section shall survive the expiration or termination of
this Agreement.
in. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts and
each counterpart shall, for all purposes, be deemed an original, but all such counterparts shall
together constitute but one and the same instrument.
n. Breach/Termination/Opportunity to Cure. If either Party commits a material
breach of this Agreement, the non-breaching Party must give written notice to the breaching
21
Party that describes the breach in reasonable detail. The breaching Party must commence curing
such breach within fourteen (14) calendar days after the time the breaching Party receives such
written notice and complete the cure within fourteen (14) calendar days from the date of
commencement of the cure. If the breaching Party does not substantially cure such breach within
the stated period of time, the non-breaching Party may, in its sole discretion, and without
prejudice to any other right under this Agreement, law, or equity, terminate this Agreement by
giving written notice to the breaching Party; provided, however, if the breach is not reasonably
susceptible to cure by the breaching Party within such fourteen (14) day period, the non-
breaching Party shall not exercise its option to terminate this Agreement so long as the breaching
Party has commenced to cure the default within such fourteen (14) day period and diligently
completes the work within a reasonable time without unreasonable cessation of the work to
complete the cure.
o. Amendment. No amendment, modification, or alteration of the terms of this
Agreement shall be binding unless the same is in writing, dated subsequent to the date hereof,
and duly executed by the Parties.
p. Signature Authority. Each person signing this Agreement hereby warrants that he
or she has the legal authority to execute this Agreement on behalf of his or her respective party,
and that such binding authority has been granted by proper order, resolution, ordinance or other
authorization of the entity. The other party is fully entitled to rely on this warranty and
representation in entering into this Agreement.
q. Governmental Powers. The Association and the Trust agree and understands that
the City does not waive or surrender any of its governmental powers by execution of this
Agreement.
r. Non-Waiver. The failure of either Party to insist upon the performance of any
term or provision of this Agreement or to exercise any right herein conferred shall not be
construed as a waiver or relinquishment to any extent of the City's, the Association's, or the
Trust's right to assert or rely on any such term or right on any future occasion.
S. Entire Agreement. This written instrument (together with any attachments,
exhibits, and appendices) constitutes the entire understanding between the Parties concerning the
work and services to be performed hereunder, and any prior or contemporaneous, oral or written
agreement that purports to vary from the terms hereof shall be void.
t. Compliance with State Anti-Boycott Law. The Association and the Trust
acknowledges that in accordance with Chapter 2270 of the Texas Government Code, the City is
prohibited from entering into a contract with a company for goods or services unless the contract
contains a written verification from the company that it: (1) does not boycott Israel; and (2) will
not boycott Israel during the term of the contract. The terms "boycott Israel" and "company"
shall have the meanings ascribed to those terms in Section 808.001 of the Texas Government
Code. By signing this Agreement, the Association and the Trust each certifies that its
signature provides written verification to the City that the Association and the Trust: (1) does
not boycott Israel; and(2) will not boycott Israel during the term of this Agreement.
22
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, THE PARTIES HAVE CAUSED TO HAVE THIS AGREEMENT
TO BE SIGNED BY THEIR DULY AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVES ON THIS /
DAY OF 20�.
CITY OF�/ORT WORTH FORT WORTH PROFESSIONAL
FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION,LOCAL 440
David ooke, City Manager Michael Glynn, President
TRUST
alerie Washingto
Assistant City Manager --
Name: ichael Glynn
Title: President—Local 440
APPROVED AS TO FORM
AND LEGALITY:
Christopher Troutt
Senior Assistant City Attorney t"
Attest:
Mary , C y SPbretary
Date Approved:
FF
OFFICIAL RECORD
CITY SECRETARY
FT. WORTH,TX
23
By execution hereof, I acknowledge and agree on behalf of the Fort Worth Firefighters Local
440 Healthcare Trust(the"Trust")
➢ that I have legal authority to bind the Trust,
➢ that I have reviewed the Trust Agreement and understand the same
➢ that I hereby bind and commit the Trust to compliance with the terms of the Trust
Agreement
➢ that I have reviewed the Healthcare Contract between the City of Fort Worth and the Fort
Worth Professional Firefighters Association(the"Agreement")
➢ that I understand the Trust's rights, responsibilities, and duties under the Agreement
and
➢ that I hereby bind and commit the Trust to compliance with the Agreement.
TRUST:
Name: Michael Glynn
Title: President—Local 440
Contract Compliance Manager:
By signing I acknowledge that I am the person responsible
for the monitoring and administration of this contract, including
ensuring all performance and reporting requirements.
VCa_1)(f
Assistant City Manager Date
I
i
OFFICIAL RECORD
,CITY SECRETARY
24 FT, WORTH,TX
i
M&C Review Page 1 of 3
Official
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA FoRTT»
COUNCIL ACTION: Approved on 611812019
DATE: 6/18/2019 REFERENCE C-29159 LOG NAME:362019COLLECTIVEBARGAINING
NO..
CODE: C TYPE: NOW PUBLIC NO
CONSENT HEARING:
SUBJECT: Authorize Collective Bargaining Agreement Between City of Fort Worth, Texas and the
Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association, International Association of Fire Fighters
Local 440, to Expire September 30, 2022 (ALL COUNCIL DISTRICTS)
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council approve the terms agreed to by the City Manager's
negotiating team and the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association and authorize the
execution of a successor Collective Bargaining Agreement between the City of Fort Worth, Texas and
the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association, International Association of Fire Fighters Local
440, that will expire on September 30, 2022.
DISCUSSION:
Through the collective bargaining process under Chapter 174, Texas Local Government Code, the
City and the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association (Association) have negotiated and
reached consensus on a successor Collective Bargaining Agreement ("CBA") regarding terms and
conditions of employment for Fort Worth fire fighters (fire fighters). This successor CBA replaces the
current CBA between the City and the Association that expired on September 30, 2018. If approved,
the successor CBA will be effective on July 1, 2019, during the one-year evergreen period of the
current CBA.
The CBA was ratified by a majority of voting members during meetings the Association held with its
members during the week of June 3, 2019. Approval of this CBA by the City Council will put it into
effect on July 1, 2019. Provisions of the CBA supersede any conflicting State or local law, except as
otherwise specified in the CBA.
The salary schedule in the CBA replaces the fire salary schedule for all ranks below the Fire Chief in
the budget ordinance previously adopted and amended.
Key points to the CBA include:
1. The Maintenance of Standards Article was revised to allow unwritten practices to be enforced
in the absence of a written policy on the issue. This Article also references the pension
changes previously approved by Council and also includes language stating that any future
pension changes will continue to be handled outside of the collective bargaining process. This
Article was also revised to ensure that all "Written City or Departmental Policy" such as
memos or interoffice communications are posted to the Fire Department Intranet site in a
similar manner to Information Bulletins, Rules and Regulations, and SOP's.
2. The Association Business Leave Article was revised to clarify the use of leave for Union
Officers.
3. Across-the-board wage increases, not including annual step raises, are as follows:
FY 2019 (Current) 2 Percent
FY 2020 3 Percent
FY 2021 4 Percent
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FY 2022 4 Percent
4. The Overtime Article was redefined to better manage overtime expenses and simplify
firefighter pay.
5. The Vacation/Holiday Leave Article was revised to clarify the use of leave by probationary
firefighters in the event of a death in the family, and a reopener clause was added should the
City propose to make changes to its current leave structure during the term of the CBA.
6. The Group Health Benefits Article was amended to reference the new healthcare agreement
implemented in calendar year 2019.
7. The Staffing Standards Article was amended to allow more flexibility for scheduled training
and department business activities. Four-person staffing continues except when a fire fighter
is absent for training or other leave of up to five hours per apparatus per day.
8. The Procedure for Filling and Probationary Period for Beginning Positions in the Fort Worth
Fire Department Article was revised to attempt to increase diversity of new recruits and
clarify selection criteria.
9. The Disciplinary Procedures Article was amended to include that the Fire Chief has the
discretion to halt or rescind disciplinary action if a fire fighter completes a criminal
prosecution Diversion Program.
10. The Grievances Article was revised to standardize time deadlines.
11. The Miscellaneous Article was amended to enable the Association to be afforded
opportunities to have a voting representative on committees established by the Fire
Department.
12. The Health and Safety Article was revised to reflect updates from the new healthcare
agreement implemented in calendar year 2019 regarding the City of Fort Worth Wellness
Program.
13. The Promotional Examinations and Appeals Article was revised regarding the posting of raw
test scores and the appeals process. A reopener clause was also added in the event the City
wants to implement a new promotional process for the Battalion Chief Rank.
14. The Sick Leave Article was revised to encourage more appropriate and efficient use of sick
and family leave, and a reopener clause was added should the City propose to make changes
to its current leave structure during the term of the CBA.
15. A new Incentive Pays Article was added to address various education, certification, and
assignment pays that were previously addressed by ordinance and the City's Personnel Rules
and Regulations. The CBA increases the amounts of these Incentive Pays and calculates
them as a percentage of the highest step of fire fighter pay, which will increase each year of
the CBA, commensurate with the across-the-board raises.
A Form 1295 is not required for this contract because: This M&C does not request approval of a
contract with a business entity.
FISCAL INFORMATION/CERTIFICATION:
The Director of Finance certifies that the fiscal year 2019 budget included funds to meet the City's
financial obligations included in this Collective Bargaining Agreement.
TO
Fund Department Account Project Program Activity Budget Reference#
ID ID Year (Chartfield 2) Amount
FROM
Fund Department JAccount Project Program Activity Budget Reference# Amount
ID ID Year (Chartfield 2)
Submitted for City Manager's Office by: Valerie Washington (6192)
Originating Department Head: Valerie Washington (6192)
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Additional Information Contact: Christopher Troutt (7609)
ATTACHMENTS
CBA 2018-2022 061219 Clean v2 061319.pdf
Fire Healthcare Contract.2019 Clean for CBA v2 061319.pdf
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