Teachers protest insurance changes

Original post

Buck Forum Admin

Teachers protest insurance changes

About 400 St. Joseph County teachers and staff members carried balloons, raised their fists and loudly applauded their union representatives Tuesday night to protest proposals to change their health- insurance provider.

Some St. Joseph County school districts have considered cutting spending by switching insurance providers. Nine school districts have Michigan Education Special Services Association as their policy holder, some are still negotiating, and some, like Burr Oak, have switched to other providers.

In the past, the policy holder, provider and level of coverage were standard benefits-package bargaining points. But in 1994 an amendment to labor bargaining laws made it legal for administrations to shop for competitive policy holders without negotiating the changes as long as they provided equal coverage. Read More - MLive

No comment from me on this one. Anyone else care to comment?

The Buck Stops Here.

Replies 1 response

Buck Forum Admin Oct 29, 2003 11:56 AM

Quote

ISD denies four MEA grievances

The St. Joseph County Intermediate School District Board of Education Monday denied four union grievances that challenged the district's plan to trade a union-backed health insurance plan for a self-funded alternative that school officials claim will save the district $400,000 this year.

Paul Lucas, ISD board president, said a grievance filed by the Michigan Education Association, which represents ISD teachers and teacher assistants, failed to show that the district's new health insurance plan does not provide coverage "that is not better than or equal to" levels specified in the unions' existing contracts.

Also on unanimous 5-0 votes, trustees denied union claims that changing the insurance plans could raise "disclosure" issues that could threaten employee privacy or job security. Lucas said the self-insurance plan, which was established in a separate action Monday, is regulated by the same state and federal laws which have applied to the district's previous insurance programs. Read More - Sturgis Journal

Just updating the link to point to the archive.

The Buck Stops There.

Edited by Buck on Oct 31, 2003 11:40 AM