It pays to take the T- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women's Hospital
It pays to take the T- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women's Hospital
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June 9, 2000
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In This Issue:
New MS Center
First Annual Thomson Lecture
It pays to take the T
Thomson Compassionate Care Scholars
Pike Notes
Neuroscience Conference
ASK YOURSELF:
Martin Leber, MD, Retires from SJPHC
In response to last summer’s staff survey, BWH will begin offering MBTA passes at a significantly reduced rate starting July 1. Until now, BWH sold T passes between 8 and 20 percent off, depending on the type of pass. The new pricing structure offers 45 percent of any type of MBTA pass. For example, the combination bus and subway pass is $46. BWH paid $9 of that cost under the old structure. It will now pay $20.70. “By reducing the cost of taking public transportation, we hope to encourage employees to leave their cars at home and help maximize patient and family parking in the Longwood Medical Area,” said Art Mombourquette, vice president, Support Services. As part of that plan, employee on-site parking rates are also increasing. However, this 20 percent increase will be more than offset by the fact that deductions will now be pre-tax, rather than post-tax. For someone earning $35,000 a year who parks on site, the 20 percent increase means this person will see almost $10 more in her weekly paycheck. (See chart) Off-site rates will remain the same and BWH is working hard to add off-site capacity. The pre-tax deduction for parking means that off-site parkers will also see an increase in their take-home earnings. Specific questions about how the pre-tax deduction will effect your pay should be directed to the payroll department. “Taking all these changes into account, the on-site parker could save significantly by taking the T to work rather than driving,” said Bob Chicarello, assistant director, Security and Parking. “Since the parking rate is increasing to $44.50 per week or $192.82 per month, an employee who buys an MBTA combo pass instead spends just $25.30 a month. That’s a savings of $167.52 every month,” he added. Chart The increase means greater net pay Salary and deductions Current 20%taken pretax Gross pay(per week)* $ 673.20 $ 673.20 Federal tax 97.00 83.00 FICA 51.50 48.10 State tax 26.75 26.75 Parking 37.08 44.50 Net pay 460.87 470.85 Impact: A $9.98 increase in weekly net pay. *For someone earning $35,000 per year.