Wednesday, May 12, 1999
Unions fret over health care cost
Hamilton council looks at premiums
BY JANICE MORSE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON — Nine unions representing 550 city workers have formed a coalition — and the group intends to voice its concerns about health care benefits at to night's city council meeting.
The unions are concerned about a proposed ordinance, planned tonight for the first of three readings, that would limit how much the city will pay to cover health-insurance premiums for city council members.
That proposal, points out City Manager Steve Sorrell, excludes city employees because their benefits are covered by contracts.
But union leaders fear the move is merely telegraphing a change they can expect when they reach the bargaining table for new contracts.
“It's kind of like, "See what we did to ourselves? Now we expect you to follow suit,' if it passes,” said R.J. Hickey, president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3169. That union represents about 70 clerical and technical workers.
“People are afraid it's going to be shoved down their throats,” Mr. Hickey said. “There's a lot of worry and concern on the part of the employees.”
Mr. Sorrell, however, said “there's a myriad of things” that the unions can do to cut costs, change contract proposals and avoid paying part of their health-insurance premiums.
And even if the proposed ordinance passes, there's a chance that city council members could pay nothing extra for their health care, Mr. Sorrell said. The extra payments would be required only if costs escalate beyond set levels, adjusted for standard cost-of-living increases, he said.
However, an April 28 report from Mr. Sorrell to city council says, “The spiraling cost of health care has far outpaced normal inflation costs ... and therefore has made it very difficult for the city to continue to assume all of the cost increases associated with health care.”
The letter goes on to say that the labor-management Health and Benefits Committee “will be provided an opportunity to work to reduce health care costs.”
As for tonight's meeting, Mr. Hickey said, “we're going to be there as a group. We want to show council we don't support a (premium) co-pay. We have worked hard to keep down the costs of health care.”
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