By Gary Day

I signed an athorization to have a VOTE/COPE contribution deducted from the first check in October. Why is it that the deduction has been taken from every check since then? The deduction was taken only once, On October 10th. What you are seeing on your pay stub is the calendar and fiscal year total for that one-time deduction.

What has recently happened to my personal illness and personal day time on my pay stub? Back in May when the district switched to a new computer system for payroll, sick and personal days started to appear as hours. This required members to divide by 7.25 to determine if the number of days was correctly reported in hours. As a result of a grievance filed by the MTA, the time has been switched back and is now being reported in days.

What is the number I need to call to get a vision voucher? On July 1, 2005 we changed to a voucherless system. Just make your appointment at the provider and they will contact Davis Vision to determine your eligibility.

I will be traveling during one of our vacation times and will need to rent a car. Does the union offer any discounts? Yes, you can get a discount on car rentals from many of the major rental companies. The discount codes are no longer in your NYSUT pocket calendar, but you can get those discount codes by visiting the NYSUT Member Benefits website. You can get there by clicking on the link at the bottom of the left side of the NYSUT.org homepage.

Any questions regarding retirement, salary, or the Benefit Fund, may be e-mailed to: questions@middletownteachers.org. All questions will recieve a reply; some may appear in future newsletters.