March 7, 2006: 12:30 p.m. EST

Playback: Monday, March 13, 3:30 - 5pm

Matt Certosimo

Employer Counsel
Borden Ladner Gervais

Tim Gleason

Union Counsel
Sack Goldblatt Mitchell

Sandra Dudley

Consultant
Eckler Partners

Larry Swartz

Principal
Morneau Sobeco

Some of the questions to be addressed:

• What new improvements are unions seeking in health care plans? What cost containment measures are employers requesting? What compromises are being struck?
• What effect do absence management and wellness programs have on health care costs? How should these programs be structured to maximize results?
• What can be done to reduce the cost of extended health care coverage, e.g. drugs, dispensing fees, dental benefits, nursing care, paramedical services, out-of-province/country coverage?
• What are the pros and cons of flex benefits, health spending accounts?
• Are health benefits payable during leaves or layoffs? Holidays and vacations? Strikes or lockouts?
• How are unions and employers dealing with the increasing cost of sick leave and long-term disability benefits? How will these costs be affected by the abolition of mandatory retirement?
• Who is entitled to the proceeds resulting from demutualization of insurance companies?
• How should collective agreements be drafted to deal with changing insurance industry standards?
  

Here's what participants said about Lancaster's previous audio conferences:

"Good value for money. We had a number of us on the call for a very low price and we did not have to travel."
— Leslie Kerr, Regional Manager, Human Resources, Ryder Logistics and Transportation

"Excellent. Provided good, useful information. The technology was great!!!"
— Colleen Ionson, Labour Relations Officer, Ontario Nurses' Association

$195, plus GST (Registrations must be paid in advance of the audio conference). Registration costs are per listening site/telephone, so you can have any number of people listening at your location for one low price. Click here for registration information.