"We have found the quality of new and relay track material supplied by A&K to consistently meet or exceed the requirements established for our customers."
Randolph Reichard, Chief Inspector Analyst
Appalachian Railway Services
Monday, January 23,2011
November Newsletter | A&K Railroad Materials, Inc.
February 2012
Paid Vacation and Paid Sick Leave
To All of our Employees:
We are currently in the process of updating our Employee Handbook. We anticipate providing you with the revised edition within the next couple of months. However, there are two important changes that took effect on January 1. 2012. We want you to have as much time as possible to take advantage of the changes being made. The modifications are being made to: assist the company in financial planning, streamline the administration of the programs, and better coordinate the use of vacation and sick leave. Therefore, please note the following summary of the new Paid Vacation and Paid Sick Leave Benefits.
Paid Vacation: Every year, beginning on January 1, 2012, [and on January 1st of every year thereafter] each employee will receive the applicable block of vacation days based on the length of time the employee has been in company service. For example, on January 1, 2012, all employees who have worked for the company for more than one (1) year and less than three (3) years received a block of five (5) vacation days. Those who been employed for three (3) to five (5) years received a block of ten (10) vacation days. Employees with more than five years of service received a block of fifteen (15) vacation days. A new employee, hired in 2011, will receive a pro rata number of days to be used in 2012.
We believe that it is important for each employee to take advantage of the benefits of vacation time. As such, any unused vacation days will be forfeited at the end of each year. However, as stated above, the employee will receive a new allotment of Paid Vacation Days on January 1, of the New Year. If an employee had surplus vacation days at the end of 2011, he/she must use them in 2012, after which time they will expire. No payment will be made for unused vacation days. The Company will modify these practices as necessary to fully comply with state or local law applicable where an employee resides. Please schedule your vacation days with your supervisor, as soon as reasonably possible.
Paid Sick Leave: Every year, beginning on January 1, 2012 (and on January 1st of each year thereafter), each employee, who has been employed for at least six (6) months, will be entitled to receive six (6) qualified days of Paid Sick Leave, consisting of eight (8) hours per day. Any unused days will expire at the end of each year, with no carryover. The employee will again be entitled to a new allotment of six (6) days on January 1, of the New Year. If an employee had more than six (6) days of Paid Sick Leave available at the end of 2011, the employee must use any such surplus of paid sick days, by the end of 2012, after which time they will expire. Of course, the employee will receive another six (6) days on January 1, 2013.
Thank you for your careful review of this new procedure. Should you have any questions, please contact Lonnie Wallace, 801-977-6308, in the Payroll Department. I appreciate all the good work you are doing to keep our Company a successful leader in our industry.
Best Regards,
Rhonda Nicoloff
President
Safety Rewards
Safety goals for 2011 were set with a promise of big rewards if the goals were met. The goal: REPEAT and improve upon our 2010 performance. We wrapped up 2010 having achieved our safety goals and big prizes were awarded. You came through again making 2011 the second year in a row to complete the year with zero lost-time accidents, 15 or fewer first-aid accidents, and 25 or fewer incidents of damage to vehicles, equipment, and machinery.
On January 20, 2012, a
drawing was held to select
the winners of the reward
money. Jeff Kron won the
grand prize of $10,000!
Joe Shinsky, James
White, Vicente Segura,
Anastacio Hernandez,
David Rakestraw,
Manuel Sandoval, Daniel
Contreras-Villegas, Kevin
Best, Joaquin Calderon,
Carlos Mendoza, Luis
Bautista, Luis Abonce,
Martin Conde, Silverio
Berber and Isai Aguirre
all won $1000. In
addition, all other eligible
employees each received
$250. This is a terrific
accomplishment on the
part of all employees!
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Introducing a new No Cost Benefit – Health Advocate
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We are very pleased to inform you that we decided to make Health Advocate™, a new and important benefit, available to all our employees who participate with our group medical insurance plans. Health Advocate is designed to help handle healthcare and insurance related issues by cutting through the red tape and barriers that so often create frustration and problems.
You will have an advocate on your side
With Health Advocate, you will have your own Personal Health Advocate, a registered nurse, supported by a team of medical doctors and administrative experts. You will have the confidence in knowing that the entire Health Advocate team is working on your behalf to help and represent your needs.
Here is just a sample of the many services you will now have readily available to you with Health Advocate:
- Help finding the best doctors and hospitals and getting to see them
- Help obtaining services for your elderly parents
- Help scheduling timely appointments, especially with specialist physicians
- Help when faced with serious illness or injury
- Help with insurance claims and billing issues
One of the other unique features of Health Advocate is that your entire family will be able to use their special services. In addition to you, your spouse and children, your parents and the parents of your spouse will also be covered under this program.
About Health Advocate
Health Advocate is a national advocacy and assistance company headquartered in Plymouth Meeting, PA. Their mission is to help individuals and organizations get the very best healthcare service. The company is managed by a team of leading healthcare and insurance experts with well over 100 years of collective experience.
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It should be noted that Health Advocate does not provide health insurance or medical coverage. Their program is not a substitute for your current health insurance plan. Rather, Health Advocate compliments your basic health coverage by facilitating their member’s interaction with healthcare providers and insurers.
Getting Started
- Using your new benefits. Your Health Advocate benefit will become effective on February 1, 2012.
- Informational Materials. A Health Advocate Member Booklet describing the complete menu of services and how to use them will be distributed by the Human Resources Department. As part of this welcome packet, you willreceive several Wallet ID Cards with the Health Advocate toll-free number printed on each card.
- A single telephone number to call. Whenever you or a family member encounters a healthcare or insurance issue, all you have to do is call Health Advocate at 1-866-695-8622 (toll free) for assistance. There is no enrollment form to complete at this time. When you call Health Advocate and require service, they will ask you to complete a Medical Information Release Form. Please be assured that all of your information will be kept strictly confidential by Health Advocate and your privacy will be protected.
Our decision to offer Health Advocate clearly relates to our interest in making certain that our employees have the best possible healthcare
Can You Sleep Through the Storm?
A young man applied for a job as a farmhand. When the farmer asked for his qualifications, he said, “I can sleep through a storm.”
This puzzled the farmer … but he liked the young man. So he hired him.
A few weeks later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm ripping through the valley. He leapt out of bed and called for his new hired hand, but the young man was sleeping soundly.
So they quickly began to check things to see if all was secure. They found that the shutters of the farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace.
The farmer and his wife then inspected their property. They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements. He sees that the bales of wheat had been bound and wrapped in tarpaulins.
The tractor had been moved into its garage. The barn was properly locked tight. Even the animals were calm and had plenty of feed. All was well.
The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man’s words, “I can sleep through a storm.”
Because the farmhand did his work loyally and faithfully when the skies were clear, he was prepared for any storm. So when the storm did actually break, he was not concerned or afraid. He could sleep in peace.
“The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.” - John F. Kennedy
Copyright 2012 A&K Railroad Materials, Inc.
TOLL FREE 1.800.453.8812
Copyright © 2012 A&K Railroad Materials, Inc. All rights reserved.
