State Contract Negotiations Begin • City IT Members Meet ... - Local 17

COPPEATraining UnderwayOne of the many benefits Local17 brings to our partnershipwith COPPEA is the array oftraining crafted by Local 17 staff.COPPEA Vice President RachelWhiteside and Union Rep Behnaz Nelsonmapped out the most essential trainingsto hold in 2012. In February, more than25 COPPEA members participated in a“Layoff/Recall: Know Your Contract”training.While Portland budget cuts willhave minimal impact on COPPEAmembers, it is useful to educate memberson contract language and the bumpingprocess. The info shared from experiencewith past layoffs will be crucial next yearwhen we come to the bargaining table.In late March every new steward anda couple of general members underwentthe Steward 101 training. “It's fantasticto start off a new group of stewardswith a comprehensive training and anunderstanding of their rights, roles andresponsibilities.” Nelson said. COPPEA NewsCOPPEA HealthBenefits to ChangeJuly 1, 2012In March, the City of Portland Labor Management Benefits Committee(LMBC) held their meeting to vote on plan changes.COPPEA President Gerry Verhoef and Treasurer Paul Cone both attended themeetings on behalf of their membership. The following is a generalized recap of thechanges that will become affective on July 1, 2012. These will only affect those on theCity Core plan.The MHN option has been melded into the ODS plan—no more confusion onwhich plan you need. MHN doctors have been contacted by ODS to contract with them,eliminating the need to change doctors for most.With the upcoming Health Reform Changes, many maximum amounts were eliminated,but may have resulted in a visit limit or pre-authorization being set for benefitssuch as: Nutritional Counseling, Smoking Cessation, Hospice.The IRS has changed the maximum limit for MERP (medical expense reimbursementplan) - down to $2500 from $4000.TMJ and orthognathic surgery benefits have been added, as well as improved coveragefor autism, speech therapy, and hearing aids.To balance the added costs for some of these changes, changes were made in theprescription program: statins (Lipitor, Crestor) and omeprazole (Nexium) will be coveredas a generic for some doses; antihistamines will no longer be covered but can be obtainedOTC; and those continuing to use non-Kroger pharmacies will pay a $5 min on generics.The bottom line dollar cost changes for employees amount to about a $1 per paycheckincrease.“While we strive to prevent costs from rising, we achieved numerous coverage gainswith minimum cost impact to our membership,” said Gerry Verhoef. Why Unions? . . . because unions fight to keep wages high.Union members earn betterwages and benefits thanworkers who aren’t unionmembers. On average, unionworkers’ wages are 28 percenthigher than their nonunioncounterparts.While only 19 percent ofnonunion workers have guaranteedpensions, fully 78 percent of unionworkers do.More than 84 percent of unionworkers have jobs that providehealth insurance benefits, but only64 percent of nonunion workersdo. Unions help employerscreate a more stable, productiveworkforce—where workers have asay in improving their jobs.— Source: AFL-CIO.Insight 7