Employees have been asking about when the COVID-19 vaccine will be available to them. Manufacturing employees are considered “essential workers” and are in Category 1B, along with 3.2 million other Illinois citizens. Beginning January 25, Illinois National Guard-led sites will begin vaccinating residents eligible under Phase 1B, which includes manufacturing, as well as sites at CVS, Jewel-Osco and Walgreens. Vaccines may be available from your doctor as well. All of those vaccination sites will be appointment only, and residents are asked NOT to line up at stores or to call their local pharmacies. Before Phase 1B begins, the state will launch the Illinois COVID-19 Vaccination Administration Plan website to give residents information on finding a nearby vaccination site and how to make an appointment.
We will provide updates as soon as we have more information.
If you live in Cook County, you can sign up for vaccine updates at https://vaccine.cookcountyil.gov/
Chicago residents can register at https://covidcoach.chicago.gov/
In the event of your death, benefits from your 401(k) would be paid according to Plan rules, which might be different from what you would choose. Please take a few moments today to name your beneficiaries.
To navigate to your beneficiary designations online:
1. Log on to www.netbenefits.com.
2. Click the Your Profile link.
3. Select Beneficiaries and follow the online instructions.
Once you have completed your beneficiary designations, you will be able to view them on NetBenefits®. Please be sure to review your choices regularly and update them after certain life events, such as a marriage, divorce, birth of a child, or a death in the family.
If you have questions, please call the Fidelity Retirement Benefits Line at 800-835-5097, Monday through Friday (excluding New York Stock Exchange holidays), from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time, to speak to a Fidelity representative.
We have been informed by two employees that they have tested positive for the COVID-19.
The first is an employee in Load Test, 1st shift. This employee was last in the plant on December 11. The second is an employee in 4-Slide, 2nd shift. This employee’s last day at work was December 15. All employees who had potential close contact with these employees have been notified.
Please continue to be vigilant, and wear a mask at all times in the plant.
We want to take this opportunity to remind you that one of our core values as a company is respect for and among our employees. We will treat information regarding the identity of employees with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 as confidential to the extent practicable and will comply with applicable laws regarding the handling of such information. Further, per Company policy, we will not tolerate harassment of, or discrimination or retaliation against, employees.
Please contact Nancy Hopkins at nhopkins@dudek-bock.com if you have any questions or concerns.
You may want to call your personal physician for recommendations for testing, or if you want to go to a testing facility that requires a doctor’s order. The COVID 19 Hotline Phone number is 1-800-889-3931.
The CARES Act provided for 10 federally funded sick days to be used in two circumstances:
1. The employee or someone the employee is caring for is subject to a government quarantine order or has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine.
2. The employee is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and is seeking medical attention.
The federal COVID sick days took effect on 4/1/2020 and the federal funding will expire on December 31.
Dudek & Bock has decided to allow employees who have not used all the federal sick days to carry them over into 2021. They may not be used as regular sick days. They are only to be used for the COVID-related situations for which they were intended. They will be paid from Dudek & Bock funds, unless the federal government later provides additional monies.
Employees who already used all 10 federal sick days are not eligible for additional days.
We have been informed that an employee in 4-Slide has tested positive for COVID-19. He has mild symptoms. He was last in the plant on December 5. He received a positive test result on December 8. He is quarantined at home. This employee reported no close contacts at work. This employee always wore a mask.
Please continue to be vigilant, and wear a mask at all times in the plant.
We want to take this opportunity to remind you that one of our core values as a company is respect for and among our employees. We will treat information regarding the identity of employees with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 as confidential to the extent practicable and will comply with applicable laws regarding the handling of such information. Further, per Company policy, we will not tolerate harassment of, or discrimination or retaliation against, employees.
Please contact Nancy Hopkins at nhopkins@dudek-bock.com if you have any questions or concerns.
You may want to call your personal physician for recommendations for testing, or if you want to go to a testing facility that requires a doctor’s order. The COVID 19 Hotline Phone number is 1-800-889-3931.
Open Enrollment has been pushed back later in the month than we anticipated, partly due to COVID-19 complications, and partly because the initial quotes from insurance companies came back with higher rates than we were willing to accept. After significant negotiations, the cost of medical insurance and vision insurance will be exactly the same as last year. The dental insurance cost is increasing slightly (around $2/pay period, depending what coverage you have). We will have the same carriers and plans.
Any employee who is keeping exactly the same insurance, can be automatically enrolled, which will be easy. If you want to add or delete coverage, change the type of coverage (PPO to HMO, or vice versa), change your primary care physician (HMO only), or if you enroll in voluntary life, you will need to go through the computer-based enrollment.
The benefit books will be available next week, in English and in Spanish. In the meantime, for Union employees, you can review the books online.
