But nobody really knows exactly what that means?
We know that if Mcfardumb wins, then our health insurance co pays are permanent, however what EXACTLY DOES THAT MEAN?
For example, are we employees and retirees going to have to pay for every single increase in coverage from this point on?
If that is indeed the case we are in big trouble because there is no way the health insurance costs are going to stay the same or go down, they will only go up.
This year it's costing $200 for employees with families on blue cross.
Next year that could go up to $400, the year after that $600 and so forth.
In other words, as the years tick by we will all be forced to abandon our decent health care for a substantially lesser version which will eat up our savings fast if we actually get sick, and the odds are bad when it comes to bus drivers staying healthy.
But what else does this contract represent?
It will take 20 years to get vested. (I think)
And what else? Well I don't know, and I don't know anybody else that knows.
In other words, us employees are totally in the dark as to what will really happen if we lose the arbitration.
That's the fault of our company and our union.
You expect the company to be downright unethical and sneaky about all this, but our union?
Our union has done a piss poor job of describing for us exactly what the ramifications are if the arbitrator rules against us.
3 comments:
The health insurance companies wlll kill us all if their blood thirsty greed is allowed to continue unabated. Don't lose your fighting spirit and become paralyzed by fatalistic thinking. Run yourself or strongly support union officer candidates who pledge temerity and transparency on behalf of the membership ...
Slightly revising the last sentence of the above comment to :" pledge TENACITY and transparency ...", improves the intent.
Absolutely true. Neither TriMet or ATU have kept its employees/members informed about proposed changes. I think it's a little to late for Jon to show the arbitrator we are willing to accept some copayment or premium increase. The arbitrator doesn't care; he/she chooses option A or option B. This is moreorless an opportunity for Jon to blame the members for not being agreeable to compromise when/if we loose. Whatever option is selected, we have to enter negotiation for the contract beginning Nov 2012. Then what?
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