FACT CHECKING TRIMET'S 'FACT CHECK' HEALTH INSURANCE

Fact: True. As allowed by the collective bargaining law, as of January 1, active union employees and retirees temporarily began paying more – the increased cost of health care over 2011 rates – until a new contract is in place. That means, on average, union members are paying 9.25 percent for their preferred provider plan or 6.25 percent for their Kaiser plan while the contract is unresolved. The union plan is a richer benefit than the non-union plan. Non-union employees pay 6 percent of the premiums, which is what TriMet has offered to the union for the upcoming contract yet to be negotiated.

operators/retirees temporarily began paying more


Complete lie. The last two or three years of my employment I was required to pay for these increases. And I see that current employees are still paying this extra amount. During one year of these 'allowable' deductions it turned out Trimet illegally charged its employees. Despite two court rulings Trimet refuses to refund the money it stole from its employees. Mcfarlane didn't have to do this, but he believes in the 'scorched earth' policy. If he doesn't get what he wants he terrorizes everybody. Thats truly how Trimet Rolls. And he has just begun stripping away benefits from union employees. David Auxier was asked in the county budget hearings what Trimet planned to do about the unfunded liability. His response was 'get rid of the liability' . The overpaid arrogant slugs that run Trimet have stated for the record that they intend to 'get rid of the liability which means they intend to strip benefits from union employees. These assholes gave themselves a raise at the same time they cut my measly pension by 20%.  

As allowed by the collective bargaining law,

I really dug into this when Mcfarlane decided to screw his union employees. True the law does say that the employer can charge these increases. But the law then says that if the employer imposes these increases the employee now have the right to strike. Nobody has brought any of that up. I don't have the slightest idea why.

union plan is a richer benefit than the non-union plan

WOW, what plan do they have. My blue cross now has a $450 (i think) deductible for each insured, 900 for my wife and I(previously we had zero) 3000 in co-pays for my wife and me ($6k, previously we had zero)  and the coverage basically sucks. Why do I say that you ask? Because one of the meds i was taking is no longer covered and its so expensive I have to get it from Canada at my own expense. 

Day after day I read the endless bullshit that comes out of Trimet. They just keep distorting and downright lying and there is not one damn thing I can do about it. Mainstream media has no interest in investigating Trimet, they just print out verbatim propaganda that Trimet hands them.  The tea party might be crazy, but they understand the government does not care about the citizens.