UNIVERSITY OF
MINNESOTA
BENEFITS ADVISORY
COMMITTEE
Article I
The Benefits Advisory Committee (BAC) will advise the University
administration on benefit offerings common to non-represented employee groups
(specifically excluding the Faculty Retirement Plan, the Optional Retirement
Plan, MSRS, faculty group disability, and faculty group life insurance). The BAC
will collaborate with the benefits advisory committees of the several
represented groups on issues of common interest.
Article II
The BAC will act in an advisory capacity within the assigned scope.
Committee recommendations will not be binding on the administration, but the
expectation is that the views of the committee will have an important influence
on policies and procedures related to matters within the mission and scope of
the BAC. Administrators remain responsible to and accountable to the President
of the University. The members of the committee should report to and seek the
views of the employee group that nominated them.
Article III
SPECIFIC CHARGES
The BAC shall:
1.
periodically recommend changes to existing programs, or new programs, to
address:
a. any changes in laws and regulations;
b. the need to coordinate
with other insurance pools;
c. the needs of faculty, P & A and civil
service staffs; and
d. competitive conditions; institutional priorities
and constraints.
2. regularly review the financial status of benefits programs,
recommend measures for maintaining fiscal balance of the fringe benefits and
give appropriate advice on these matters to the University
administration;
3. provide advice to the University Office of Human
Resources on relevant administrative and procedural matters and on
communications of ideas and suggestions concerning coverage, eligibility,
claims, procedures, bidding, administration, and other aspects of employee
issues concerning benefits within the scope and mission of the BAC;
4.
monitor benefit plans to ensure they are of high quality and in stable financial
condition, provide information on these matters to the parent committees and
advise the administration with respect to them;
5. review the effects of
policies on University benefit costs and on faculty and staff enrollment
patterns, provide information on these matters to the parent committees and
advise the administration.
6. advise the Vice President of Human
Resources in the formulation of Requests for Information and Requests for
Proposals and in the evaluation of responses to them, and make recommendations
regarding providers and benefit features of benefit plans to the Vice President
of Human Resources and central administration; and
7. nominate from among
the BAC membership at least 3 persons to be appointed to represent University
employees in any RFP or similar process
8. nominate from among the BAC membership two persons to be appointed to
represent the BAC on the Health Care Administrative Working Group.
In
presenting the advice of the committee, the Chair shall report the vote and also
summarize the majority and minority positions.
Article IV
1. Membership. Membership of the BAC is restricted to staff, faculty
and retirees of the University who are eligible for University benefits. The
BAC will consist of the following members:
a. Voting Members: The
voting membership of the BAC shall be composed of a chair, four (4) faculty,
four (4) P & A, four (4) civil service, and two (2) retirees.
b.
Non-voting Members: Bargaining units that receive (or plan to
receive) benefits through the same group plan may, to the extent permitted by
applicable labor law, each choose to send one (1) reprsentative to the
committee. These groups include 1): Teamsters Local 320; 2). AFSCME Locals 3800
& 3801 (Clerical); 3). AFSCME Locals 3801 and 3937 (Technical); 4). AFSCME
Local 3260 (Health Care), and 5). UEA Duluth & Crookston.
c Ex
Officio Members (Non-voting): Ex officio members of the committee
shall include the Senior Vice President of Health Sciences (or designee), the
Vice President of Human Resources (or designee), the Director of Employee
Benefits (or designee) and other appropriate staff from said offices. The chair
of BAC has the authority to appoint additional ex officio members to the
committee.
2. Conflict of Interest: A member who has a relationship (other than
the receipt of benefits under the University plans) that allows him or her to
derive a financial or professional benefit must disclose that relationship to
the committee and must abstain from voting on any issue directly related to that
interest.
3. Restricted Session and Executive Session: Voting
members of the BAC may call restricted sessions and/or executive sessions. A
restricted session of the BAC shall consist of the voting and non-voting members
of the BAC. An executive session of the BAC shall consist of the voting members
of the BAC.
Article V
1. Selection of
Voting Members. The representative committee of each employee group (i.e.,
the Faculty Consultative Committee, the Academic Staff Advisory Committee, and
the Civil Service Committee) shall each present a slate of at least two (2)
candidates for each vacant position representing that employee group. Each group
shall select its slate of candidates according to the rules and procedures of
that employee group. Nominations for vacant retiree positions may be made by the
University of Minnesota Retirees Association and by the representative employee
groups.
In order to assure balanced representation, the chairperson (or
the acting chairperson) of the BAC and the chairpersons of the three
representative groups shall jointly select members from the lists of candidates
each group has submitted. In making the choices, the selectors will seek to
assure that each campus is represented and that the BAC includes members with
experience or knowledge of insurance and benefit issues as well as members
representative of the entire University community population.
2.
Selection of Other Members. Bargaining unit representatives will be chosen
by their respective unions. 3. Terms. Members will be
appointed to four (4) year staggered terms. Each employee group may determine
whether a member from that group may be eligible to serve more than one term.
Terms will run from July 1 through June 30.
4. Selection of
Chairperson. The Committee will select its own Chairperson, who will serve
for a two (2) year term, beginning on July 1. The Chair need not be a member of
the BAC at the time of election. Because the Chairperson should be
representative of all employees without regard to employee group, he or she will
relinquish any representative seat on the BAC on becoming Chair or Chair-Elect.
The election will be in September or October of the year before the beginning of
the term, so that the Chair-elect may arrange schedules and other duties so as
to be able to perform the functions of office. The Chair-elect shall be an
additional voting member. A Chair of the BAC may be reelected.
5.
Vice-Chairperson. The Committee will elect a vice-chair from among its
members annually. If there is a Chair-elect that person may be elected
vice-chair
When appropriate, the work of the
BAC may proceed through subcommittees, whose membership may include, but need
not be limited to, members of the BAC. The role of the subcommittees will be to
review specific benefit areas, especially subjects involving particularly
complex issues, and to develop recommendations and options for consideration by
the full BAC. If issues arise that fall outside the purview of the
subcommittees, then the chair may appoint a special ad hoc committee or address
the issues involved through a committee of the whole.
The Senate Office, in cooperation with
the staff of the Academic Staff Advisory Committee and the Civil Service
Committee, will be responsible for staffing the BAC in the areas of committee
appointments, agenda development, project planning, and meeting arrangements.
The Office of Human Resources will provide technical staffing, and draw upon
expertise from Financial Systems, Purchasing and the Office of the General
Counsel when appropriate.
Revised: September 15, 2005