This was published as a letter to the editor at the TRIBUNE!
We note that the media frequently publishes erroneous statements
like: “TriMet is pushing for ATU 757 members to pay more of their health
care costs, which the union opposes.”
This is an untrue
statement that puts the union in a false light. The union does not
oppose the idea of its members paying more of their health care costs.
The union recently published the following statement in a number of
community newspapers: “... we understand that we are going to have to
shoulder more of the health care burden created by our jobs.” We further
noted that numerous studies have established that transit operators
become disabled and die younger than people working in most other
professions and that is the major reason for the higher cost of our
health insurance.
There are some other facts that should be
recognized. The first is that no one, including TriMet, has seen a
health care proposal from the union.
Second, the union members of
the TriMet work force are currently paying more for health care than
nonunion employees at the agency. TriMet has repeatedly acknowledged
this fact in its internal public relations statements.
Finally,
the union does not have a health care proposal at this time. We do not
yet have a health care proposal for one simple reason. We cannot get the
information needed to formulate such a proposal. The union has been
struggling to obtain accurate and consistent health care cost
information from TriMet. It takes months for them to respond to our
requests and then, when they do respond, the documents are incomplete.
Moreover,
those documents often contain information that seriously conflicts with
TriMet’s public statements, testimony and actuarial reports about the
cost of health care. Obviously, until we get complete and accurate
information the union cannot formulate a response to TriMet’s health
care proposal, let alone develop one of its own on the issue.
We
realize that labor negotiations are a complicated subject. We hope in
the future, however, that the union itself will be consulted about its
bargaining positions rather than folks relying on what TriMet’s public
relations department claims is the union’s position. In the meantime, we
want you to know that we appreciate the effort your newspaper is making
to keep the community informed about transit issues.
Bruce Hansen
President, ATU 757
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