GEA President's Letter of October 18

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#339966" TEXT="#080000" background="043fd5a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Greenfield Education Association</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Greenfield Education Association"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Media Release: November 2">Media Release: November 2</A>   |   <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Franklin County Salaries">Franklin County Salaries</A>   |   <B>GEA President's Letter of October 18</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#339966" TEXT="#080000" background="044d2b03.jpg"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>GEA President's Letter of October 18</I></div> <div> October 18, 2005 </div> <bR> <div> TO: GEA Members </div> <div> FROM: Frank Brower, GEA President </div> <div> RE: Mayor Forgey’s Letter</div> <div> ______________________________________________________________________________ </div> <div> Recently, the Mayor sent you a letter regarding the GEA’s unfair labor practice charge and the new health insurance plans. </div> <bR> <div> It is unfortunate that the Mayor wants to negotiate everywhere but at the bargaining table. </div> <bR> <div> I feel it is important for you to know why the GEA filed the unfair labor practice charge and I want to correct some inaccuracies in the Mayor’s letter. </div> <bR> <div> By law, the GEA has the right to negotiate with the School Committee regarding changes made in the health insurance plans. However, the Mayor decided not to negotiate and unilaterally changed the health insurance plans. </div> <bR> <div> The changed health insurance plans did not save money for our members. </div> <bR> <div> There is a big difference between cost containment and cost shifting to employees. Reviewing the plans will clearly show cost shifting techniques such as higher deductibles and higher co-pays. </div> <bR> <div> The Mayor wrote, “Our solution did no real harm to employees.” Please speak with your colleagues and ask them if they agree with the Mayor. </div> <bR> <div> The MTA allocated money for the GEA to retain an insurance consultant. The consultant’s analysis, health insurance documents, and information supplied by the Town show the following: </div> <bR> <div> <B>1. The Town’s proposals to medical providers were flawed.</B> </div> <div> Health insurance costs are over six million dollars. There was no formal written request for proposals (RFP’s). Most communication, according to the Town, was done by phone. </div> <bR> <div> Prior to July 1, 2005, there were three (3) medical providers (BC/BS, MIIA, and HNE) in Greenfield. </div> <bR> <div> Two providers (BC/BS and MIIA) informed the Association that they were not given the opportunity to bid on the new health insurance plan. </div> <bR> <div> This fact is important because if all three submitted bids for the same medical plan, HNE would not have been the lowest bid and additional money would be saved. </div> <bR> <div> <B>2. The new health insurance plans reduced benefits.</B> </div> <div> 264 employees and their families lost an HMO which had lower or no deductibles when compared to the current HMO plan. </div> <bR> <div> Some Association members’ doctors are now “out of network” creating greater costs to the individual and/or forcing the individual to leave the doctor. </div> <bR> <div> “I ask all the employees of the Town to work with me to assure that taxpayer dollars are not spent unwisely,” wrote the Mayor. </div> <bR> <div> Perhaps, someone should remind the Mayor that the GEA has been waiting at the bargaining table since Spring to begin the discussion. </div> <bR> <div> The bottom line for GEA members:  The unilateral change in health insurance plans cost us money. There was no fair bidding process, no cost containment and no improvement in plans. That’s why we filed the unfair labor practice charge. </div> <bR> <div> Finally, I must respond to the Mayor’s last paragraph. </div> <bR> <div> There are many teachers and paraprofessionals employed for twenty years or more in Greenfield. We have seen our incomes and benefits reduced during this time. </div> <bR> <div> We have also seen jobs lost, supplies eliminated and school budgets reduced. We have protected essential school services for our students despite program reductions, class size increases and staff shortages. We have taken no raises or small raises several times during these twenty years. </div> <bR> <div> Yet, we continued to provide quality education, paid for supplies and worked well beyond the school day and year for our students. </div> <bR> <div> We do not seek a thank you. However, we demand to be treated fairly and equitably as Greenfield School System employees. This demand sometimes requires filing unfair labor practices and always requires good faith negotiations be conducted at the bargaining table.</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>