Health & Welfare

ELIGIBILITY

The plan operates on the basis of collective agreements between Local 213 IBEW and participating employers.  To be eligible, a Local 213 member or permit employee must work for a participating employer who has contributions made on his/her behalf and sent to the Plan based on one of those collective agreements.

  • You may qualify by working and have reported by your employer the required hourly contributions.
  • To qualify you must have 130 hours in your hour bank which must be accumulated in the six month period prior to qualification.
  • Shaw employees that work prior to the 15th of the month will be credited for the full 130 hours for that month.
    • If an employee starts after the 15th of the month they will receive no credits for that month. Shaw temporary employees are not covered by the plan.
  • You qualify for all benefits on the first day of the month following the month in which sufficient hours are reported by your employer.
  • Coverage will end when there are insufficient hours available from a participating employer or the members’ hour bank runs out.
    • Apprentices’ coverage will be continued by the Plan provided they are attending school full time under the Joint Apprenticeship and Retraining Committee of Local 213.

Enrolment forms for extended health benefits, medical and life insurance are available in the Welfare Office and must be completed before coverage can commence.  Also, new forms are required for changes, additions and deletions of dependents.  All changes must be made through the Welfare Office.


HOUR BANK

  • Any hours in excess of the 130 that are required to maintain coverage will accumulate in the members’ hour bank to a limit of 1000 hours.
  • A full hour bank of 1000 hours will provide approximately 7 months coverage.
  • Coverage will end when you do not have sufficient hours reported to make the required coverage charge of 130 hours.
  • Non Local 213 members working on permit are dropped from coverage when their hour bank runs out.

COVERAGE

 Benefit coverage will start on:

  • The first day of the month following the month in which sufficient hours are reported by a contributing employer AND
  • All enrolment forms are fully completed and returned to the Welfare Office.
  • Keep in mind that hours worked in January are reported in February for coverage in March.

 OTHER IBEW LOCALS

A member of Local 213 working at any local in Canada whose trustees have signed the Health & Welfare Reciprocal Agreement for the 1st District (Canada) will have their hours reciprocated to the Local 213 Electrical Workers Welfare Plan.  This includes Canadian construction locals.

For members working under maintenance or utility agreements members must notify the Welfare Office to terminate their coverage under Local 213’s plan, otherwise they may have double coverage.  A member’s hour bank may be “frozen” for a period of six months.  This request to have your coverage frozen must be in writing and given to the Welfare Office.

On return to Local 213, members will need to advise the Welfare Office immediately so that their coverage may be re-instated under Local 213’s plan.


DISABILITY COVERAGE

 If you are under 65 years old and disabled due to an accident or illness and are prevented from earning money, your coverage will be maintained by the Plan provided you are receiving Wage Indemnity, Employment Insurance sick benefits, Income Continuance, EI Maternity/Paternity Benefits, Disability Pension or Workers’ Compensation and you qualify for Wage Indemnity benefits.  If you are receiving Workers’ Compensation or EI sick you will be required to produce all pay stubs to the Administrator.  To qualify for this benefit, you must be and remain a member in good standing with the IBEW Local 213.

If you fulfil the above criteria, your existing hour bank balance will be utilized first towards coverage and deducted 130 hours for each month of coverage while you are not working.  If your hour bank runs out and you are still disabled/receiving EI Maternity/Paternity Benefits, etc., the Plan will continue to gift you 130 hours for each additional month you are disabled/not working, so that your Welfare Plan coverage will be continued.

It is the member’s responsibility to inform the Welfare Office if they are on WCB, EI Maternity/Paternity, EI sickness, etc. and to provide the necessary documentation required for continuation of Welfare Plan coverage.


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q:        If I have worked, can I ignore a shortage notice (letter)?

A:        No, if you get an advice that you are short of hours, this is what the computer print-out shows.  If you think it is incorrect, contact the Welfare Office at once.  It may be that your employer did not send in a report or made an error in the amount of hours reported.  The Welfare Office would not know this unless you advise that the record is incorrect.  In such circumstances contact the Welfare Office immediately.

Q:        If coverage terminates when will I re-qualify?

A:        The same as for a new member, the first day of the month following accumulation of the required 130 hour contribution in your hour bank.  If you have been terminated for six months or more, new forms are required to be completed.