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: TOWN OF FAIRFAX EMPLOYEE/SPOUSE HEALTH BENEFITS  ( 10398 )
Bob Horr
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« : February 27, 2008, 10:42:10 PM »

TOWN OF FAIRFAX EMPLOYEE/SPOUSE HEALTH BENEFITS

According to the official minutes of the December 20, 2007 Fairfax Selectboard Meeting  three (3) members voted to make changes to the Healthcare section of  the Fairfax Town Employee Policy. A minor change was all references of the year 2007 to 2008, but the major change was to eliminate two person health plans for employees beginning in 2009. There are currently seven (7) full time town employees enrolled in the Town Health Care plan; four (4) of these employees have spouses covered by the town health insurance. None of the employees have dependents (children) insured in this plan. The rationale for this abrupt change must have been due to the additional cost to the town for the spousal insurance premium.

I was a member of the town Selectboard for 4 years until Town Meeting of 2006 and have attempted to stay informed on important issues in the operation since then.  I wasn’t aware of a massive deterioration in Town employee relations or performance lately. But I see this “Heavy Handed” approach as a “fuse” to create a problem where none existed before. For example: if the premium for spouse health insurance coverage is $6000 and the four (4) employees involved remain employed, the bill to the Town is $24000 per year. The last time I checked none of our employees will ever become rich or financially independent based on their pay. Of the (4) four with spouse coverage, (2) two of the employees are on the Town road crew while the other (2) two employees work in the Town office. Based on the performance of these employees with the excellent care of the roads and the comparable attitudes of the office staff, do they deserve a $6000+ cut in pay? Look at the road conditions in the surrounding towns. Would you get as courteous and efficient help at other Town offices? Unfortunately some damage has already been done in that the Fairfax Town Employees’ morale and trust has been seriously impacted.

In conclusion, the town Selectboard should treat their employees with respect. The two married employees on the road crew each have worked for the town for over 20 years. If possible the Selectboard and employees should discuss proposed budgetary issues that affect their personal well being, don’t keep them in a vacuum. In case you haven’t noticed, there are many people looking for jobs, but darn few immediately able to fill the shoes of the employees you have now! By cultivating the current work force that is dedicated, well disciplined, and trained saves the community far more than $24000 annually by keeping repairs and complaints at a minimum. Please change the Health Care policy back to include spouse health insurance and look at other line items for the $24000 when developing the 2009 Town Budget.

If you similar concerns please make Selectboard aware!

Thank you.         

Robert A. Horr                     
2008 Selectboard candidate
Mummy
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« #1 : February 28, 2008, 09:53:46 AM »

This is not about job performance or the value of an employee which has been proven by the rate of increase to pay over the past years!
 
The issue is: 
This type of policy is not offered in todays work force to receive a 100% health care coverage even for the employee who is valued, does not exist today in the work force.  This current policy which the TAX PAYER pay for is an A PLUS policy!  It requires a minimal out of pocket expense from the employee.  Do you have any idea how many TAX PAYERs here in Town who have a 100% two person health care plan OR who have NO COVERAGE AT ALL?

Bob you were an IBMer, does IBM cover 100% of you and your spouse health care coverage? 
Does  IBM have the same wonderful health care coverage that they had 20-years ago?  How long AGO did IBM change their health care coverage in regards to spouse?  This town has waited much longer than anyone else to make  these types of changes.   This is a painful decision with a years notice given. 

Did IBM give you a YEARS notice or were you notified to make a choice within 30-days with these new changes?

Hopfully our national election this year will solve some of these issues.
Loctavious
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« #2 : February 28, 2008, 12:57:56 PM »

As an outsider to this issue, I'm a bit confused on whatteh ACTUAL facts are.  Does hte change call for dropping mulitple dependents from coverage OR is recalibrate Fairfax's approach to more closely reflect the norm.  The new norms are based on skyrocketing Health care costs, so these new normas are in part to protect employers and their ability to provide stable and quality occupational opportunities.
IF, the new change is to effectively CUT all additional dependents from the town workers policy in order to closer reflect those norms - than I have to say it is an option, but what woudl the employee's insurance coverage end up?  Would their coverage remain at 100%?   If so, that's nto a bad trade-off, especially with Vt Universal Healthcare taking off.
But really, wouldn't it cause less friction and hard feelings if the plan was to instead leave all dependents on the policy and just change to a 'Co-Pay' or "partial pay out of pocket' approach?  I firmly beleive that involving said employees in the decision, would've have avoided hard feelings and allowed for them to SEE the necessity of it.  Makign a decision, especially one that looks nit-picky on paper, that's going to affect quality employees livlihoods, without warning of it being an issue or getting feedback from the employees, seems authoritarian. 

"Conservatives see any progress outside of what they approve of as the 'liberal agenda'.  Apparently no one told them they and what they think aren't any better than the rest of us"

"A closed mind is more dangerous than an ignorant one"
ohhman
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« #3 : February 28, 2008, 01:36:05 PM »

Just a question:  is it true that one town office employee's spouse will soon be receiving Medicare/Medicaid (age related) benefits?  If so, we're talking only 3 employees with spousal benefits.  Was it ever considered to give a year's notice to them and/or offer them the option of paying a portion rather than eliminating them entirely?
Mummy
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« #4 : February 28, 2008, 01:48:54 PM »

Sounds like you have LITTLE information on this subject.  Let me try to bring you up to speed on this topic which is new for the Town of Fairfax BUT has been exercised for YEARS in the business world. 

The Town of Fairfax (TAX PAYER's) pay for the employee's health insurance which is an A PLUS plan (BLUE CROSS & BLUE SHIELD) and this plan also covered the spouse at 100% no employee contribution!  Now the Town of Fairfax (Tax payer's) will continue the 100% coverage but "if" you want a spouse the employee will have to contribute via payroll deductions.  I think that is what you suggested and that IS WHAT THE Town of Fairfax has proposed! It is a FAIR and reasonable suggestion. 

I for one applaud the selectboard for acting on this item.  It would be careless and rectless of them NOT to have suggested this during this recession year!  Good for you, reaching out to understand the issues at hand!  Do you have BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD healthin insurance?
Mummy
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« #5 : February 28, 2008, 02:01:20 PM »

Answer to Karen's question which came up during my writing to the previous question.

No ONE is being eliminated from the current health insurance  plan.  The employee has a choice to pay for the spouse if they indeed have a spouse!  This concept is new to the Town of Fairfax but has been around for over ten-years in the business world.  This is not a punishment to the workers but a good business choice for the Town of Fairfax.  Every employee has a choice to add their spouse to the health care insurance through payroll deductions!  Instead of the Town of Fairfax (TAX PAYER)  covering the cost, your spouse the employee will pay for it at the plans already reduced rate which is a BONUS! 
Mummy
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« #6 : February 28, 2008, 02:10:23 PM »

sorry, I did not address Karen's other portion of her question about giving more notice>>>>>

The Town of Fairfax did give the employee's 12-months notice!  I do not know ANY business which gives 12-months notice.  Again it is a well thought out and a good decision during difficult times. 

Hope this information answers any question you may have had.  If not, think about this....
When you have changes in your personal health insurance do you have 30-days to make a choice or 12-months?
Loctavious
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« #7 : February 28, 2008, 02:12:00 PM »

I do.  My comments were directed at the information being provided in the first post in order to strengthen the argument at hand.

FULL 100% Health coverage of employees is coveted benefit quickly going away.  We could get in the WHY, and WHAT IS pushing Health Costs up, but it's more prudent and on subejct to say, that proposed changes AREN'T that major when all the facts are on the table.  True - it's a down-side that a payroll deduction will result, but if it means the employees maintain 100% coverage, and the Spouses can too for a small price, it's worth it.  The alternatives are much worse - such as the plan i'm in where regardless of how often you see the Doctor, each dependent has a $200 deductible.  Now that doesn't include preventative check-ups, but for routine visits - we pay the WHOLE price.  Nothing drove the current insurance climate home harder then wehen our daughter was injured in soccer this year.
A quick trip to the ER, no more than 50 words from the doctor and 50 from the nurse and a pair of crutches cost $3000.  Our insurance covered everything after our FAMILY deductible of $600.  So those 100 words and that 20 minutes of service - cost us $600.  that's on top of what i pay each pay period to HAVE that cvoverage ( $350 fo rthe family)
AGAIN, a modest payroll deduction for 100% coverage would be a highly sought benefit anywhere.

"Conservatives see any progress outside of what they approve of as the 'liberal agenda'.  Apparently no one told them they and what they think aren't any better than the rest of us"

"A closed mind is more dangerous than an ignorant one"
Mummy
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« #8 : February 28, 2008, 02:17:58 PM »

OOPs I stand corrected.

The Town of Fairfax does not have BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD health insurance, it is CIGNA but a good plan.  I did not realized that they changed to CIGNA two-years ago!

Sorry
Mummy
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« #9 : February 28, 2008, 02:26:57 PM »

Loctavious I agree with you and now I am a bet jellous that your family deductable is only $600!  My family deductable is over a thousand dollars!  So you see that all this is much to do about what most of us tax payers have been putting up with for years!
AND
I realize that there are folks who wish they had health insurance and would be happy to pay their deductable because they don't have insurance at all!

This is all good, useful information.  Thank you for your input!
7F24
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« #10 : February 28, 2008, 07:03:15 PM »

I hate an employer that does not provide for it's employee's...and now I am one, thanks to the select board.  The fact that I do not have the best health insurance, is not a good reason to deny my employee's.  Replacing Donald and the boys will cost us way more than paying for their families health insurance, I'd rather replace the select board.
HayesFXFD17
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« #11 : February 28, 2008, 07:43:59 PM »

I tend to agree with the the very simple but very important fact that Mr. Horr brings up.  Employee Moral.  We have all heard that productiveness goes hand in hand with happy employees.  In fact there are people out there who do nothing but study such type cases.  Employee moral is a huge trickle down effect.  If the path of moral decline is taken it trickles down to all departments not just the public works department.  We as part time employees of the town being members of the Fire Department also took a huge morale leveling hit this year with our budget. 

It makes focusing on the tasks at hand very difficult and hard to have "shop talk" that focuses on real issues other than those that directly affect the town employees.  I am ashamed to consider myself as a tax payer to be the "employer" whom is so cheap.  The town employees of Fairfax especially public works are probably some of the most underappreciated citizens we have.  They endure climate conditions that pose a life risk every time they get in there plow trucks and why?  Because its their job.  I don't think we have a single employees in the town part time or full time that isn't proud of what he or she does.  For all the "nay sayers" of the employees benefit package I challenge you all to walk a day in their shoes and would you give up your jobs to go work for the town and receive hourly wages that are not very competitive compared to other municipalities and be forced to take a huge insurance hit that directly effects their family lives.  Not many of would take that abuse, we would seek other employment, I know I would. 

I applaud the the fact that they are receiving such wide spread support from the town taxpayers and hope that we as town citizens do not loose any of the skilled and experienced employees we have because of decisions made on Monday evenings on Hunt Street.

logical
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« #12 : February 29, 2008, 10:20:22 AM »

I for one would like to applaud the work of every town employee.  They work very hard in whatever task they are responsible for.  Our town road crew is perhaps one of the best in the state (my opinion).  I also know how hard the members of the fire dept. work and the sacrifices they make in order to volunteer their time.

However, is it realistic in today's economy to expect for your employer (be that of private or municipal govt.) to pay 100% of your health coverage?  If you were a private company you would be out of business if you followed this practice.  Unfortunately with today's economy we are forced to make these sort of decisions.




« : February 29, 2008, 10:42:14 AM logcal »
Loctavious
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« #13 : February 29, 2008, 10:42:51 AM »

Great point Logcal.  i wasn't there to hear HOW the change was presented and approved, BUT I get this feeling that neither were some of the rest of us here.  IF it was presented in a 'no big deal' or ' deal with it' kind of way, then employees have a right to be upset. 
IF, this move was presneted in the context of the economy, and rising prices in every aspect of our daily services ( building maintenance fees on aging equipment, rising fuel prices, rising property taxes, etc. then i don't know how anyone could've taken it in a negative, let's screw the employee sort of way.
I'd made the point earlier that 100% health care coverage with no money out of pocket is UNHEARD of now-a-days.  The fact the town has access to a plan that provides it is impressive.  In my understanding, this change wouldn't change the 100% coverage for neither the employee nor their spouse/dependent.  All that WOULD change is a payroll deduction would be made for the spouse - which has become the norm in the insurance industry. 

Perhaps the greatness of the benefit wasn't realized before, and now it's being changed it is.  Or maybe, it's the perspective that it appears as a step backward in terms of benefits and pay, whatever the reason - there is resistance and negativity brewing over it.  Perhaps further exploration is needed in order to both achieve an understanding as to the WHY of it being not something against the employee, but rather something that the town must do to mitigate the rising costs of the town operation.  I think if we turned this around, and the reisdents learned that employees were receiving such an expensive benefit, which WAS NOT comensorate with similiar and nearby towns, and which was to increase taxpayers contributions - there would be an angry, negative movement in the other direction

What if looked at this way, we let the benefit remain BUT it will be classified as 'bonus' which becomes taxable.  In turn any annual bonus employees DID receive would not be subsituted by the Health Bonus.  All really does is move around the issue to another area, but if it's such a coveted benefit, a little leeway to keep it might demonstrate the intent of the town to work with the employees to find a more amicable agreement. 

"Conservatives see any progress outside of what they approve of as the 'liberal agenda'.  Apparently no one told them they and what they think aren't any better than the rest of us"

"A closed mind is more dangerous than an ignorant one"
7F24
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« #14 : February 29, 2008, 03:31:33 PM »

We can go broke trying to save money.  The members of the town road crew do not have to live with this change.  They are competant, hard working professionals, that could easily find employment elsewhere.  They are dedicated to this town, but the truth is, we need them much more than they need us.  The knowledge they have about roads, ice, drifting, culverts, water supply, bridges, flooding, etc, cannot be replaced for twice the amount of money we are trying to save. 
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