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Although both sides are mum on the slow-moving police contract negotiations, a new labor agreement with another group of workers could signal that Mayor Joe Ganim’s administration is ready to take on a bigger share of the health care burden, not just for police officers. The city’s workforce.
Earlier this month, the Office of Labor Relations was sent to the City Council for approval. New four-year contract for 115 public utility workers overseeing roads, parks and sanitation – effective July 1, 2020. Changes to health benefits a decade ago under then-Mayor Bill Finch were internalized as part of his administration’s efforts to save taxpayer dollars.
Under Finch, a Democrat like Ganim, Bridgeport municipal employees began paying more for their health care premiums, starting at 25 percent and increasing by 1 percent each year to a maximum 50 percent contribution rate. So, for example, in the aforementioned public utility association, members are now paying 35 percent of the insurance coverage.
The recent agreement would keep those 115 workers’ annual raises of 1 percent, but raise the maximum contribution rate by 33 percent and also roll back what the workers had been paying to restart at 25 percent.
The importance of that change was not lost on members of the all-Democratic House Contracts Committee, who will be reviewing the contract in the coming weeks, or on Legislature President Aid Nieves.
“Is this model going forward when contracts are renegotiated?” Nieves said there is a lot on the table right now, but the police department is probably the one that deserves the most attention.
“We can’t talk about active bargaining or city bargaining strategies,” said Eric Amado of the Labor Relations Department. The changes to the percentage of premium cost share for the public facilities union were “made possible by union discounts” to support Bridgeport’s bottom line as well as “strengthening operational services to meet the needs of our taxpayers,” he said.
Amado did not provide further details, but according to the association, the reductions include the loss of two-time pay on holidays.
The Public Utilities Union is part of the same umbrella organized labor group as the police — the American Federation of State, Municipal and County Employees, or AFSCME.
“We are pleased with this contract,” AFSCME spokeswoman Renee Hamel said in a statement Thursday about the Public Utilities deal. It is a fair and reasonable solution that rewards the quality public service our members provide to the residents of Bridgeport.
“The health care cost changes are a positive step and will provide significant savings to our members and help relieve some of the burden,” Hamel continued. “We hope this contract will act as an incentive to reduce health care costs for all the employees we represent in Bridgeport.”
“It’s no secret that we’re hearing … officers are leaving because of insurance, not morale,” Nieves said. But, she added, what would happen to Bridgeport’s budget if health care premiums were cut for all municipal employees?
In April, Nestor Nko, the city’s budget director, told the council about the police force: “On the table, the city is willing to lower health insurance rates.” … But we should get something from the association in return.
Since then, the administration of Ghanim, at least officially, has not discussed the topic further. However, it is clear that Bridgeport is facing challenges in hiring police. After a less successful recruiting drive last year, another one was held early last summer. And When that ended, the city immediately started another drive.
Councilor Matthew McCarthy is co-chair of the Contracts Committee. He said health insurance cuts for all city union workers would be “across the board.”
“Anything that takes a little bit of the burden off our staff,” McCarthy said. “It makes the cost a little bit higher for the city, so we have to find savings somewhere else where we’re spending wastefully and inefficiently.”
“I think the idea is that for most people, for a municipality – a public entity – you get good benefits and protections and you trade that for a lower salary,” Councilman Scott Burns Budget said. Co-Chairman of the Committee. “But if health insurance costs go through the roof, they’re losing that angle. So people won’t be very interested in working for any municipality, but ours is clear. It (premium reduction) should definitely be looked at.”
George Cruz, another member of the contracting committee, said, “We have to do something to lower that insurance premium to keep some of these officers. … We train them, we hire them and next thing you know they’re jumping ship. Other units.”
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