School Board Rejects Teacher Union's Grievance Over Healthcare Costs

The Jefferson Union High School District board last Tuesday rejected a grievance brought by teachers and other employees, drawing loud shouts of "shame on you" from a labor-packed audience of about 100 people.

Representatives of the employees' union complained that district negotiators in recent years had ignored the fine print of a 2005 letter that calls for a 50-50 split on payment of health insurance costs.

The employees are now responsible for paying 30 to 40 percent of their health care costs.

Emily Faxon, one of the American Federation of Teachers' negotiators involved in the letter's drafting, said employees were supposed to pay up to 50 percent of their health care cost only if the district couldn't afford to fully cover it. The district traditionally has picked up the entire tab for employees' health care benefits, but due to declining state revenue has been paying a lesser share.

Many district employees told the school board that rising health care costs are making it difficult for them to make ends meet. Saying he couldn't save enough money for his son to attend college, one Westmoor High School employee resigned on the spot, drawing gasps in the audience .

Although the grievance focused on the 2005 letter, the school district's attorney, County Counsel Rebecca Archer, said it had no bearing on subsequent negotiations and agreements. In 2009-10, the employees agreed to pay a portion of their health care costs.

Meanwhile, new contract negotiations are underway for the employees. An increase in health insurance rates for the 2012-13 school year -- 6 percent for Kaiser and 10 percent for Health Net -- became effective Oct. 1, when the plan was renewed.

Despite rejecting the grievance, school board members said they support the employees and want to help them through this rough economy.

Read the full article.

Published October 29th, 2012

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