Orange County Teachers Shouldnt Be Forced To Pay Higher Health Insurance Premiums, Special Magistrate Rules

Oleh Admin 10 Feb, 2024 Posting Komentar

A special state or administrative law judge has ruled that Orange County Public Schools teachers will not be required to pay higher insurance premiums than the school district in negotiations with the union.

The district is proposing to increase health insurance premiums by an average of 64% by the June 30, 2024 union agreement deadline, which the union has requested, according to the Orange County Teachers Union. He was very against it because “it’s not much.” explain

Special Judge Barry Goldman concurred in his ruling regarding a dispute over contract negotiations between the union and the district.

“I agree with the union that the proposal to begin raising bonuses on the last day of the contract is bizarre,” Goldman wrote. “In light of the legal circumstances, and in order to spare the parties the inevitable controversy, uncertainty and litigation that such a change would entail, I recommend that there be no change to Article XVII, the Rules and Appendix C” (i.e. the sections dealing with next question). Teachers' health insurance).

The union, which is currently struggling to survive the state's new anti-union policies, supported the decision - even though other contract clauses the union disputed, such as the requirement that June 19 be a paid holiday, were included in law. District services included.

Employers expect total health care costs per employee to rise an average of 5.4% this year. OCPS has proposed raising teacher health insurance premiums by 64 percent.

OCTA President Clinton McCracken told Orlando Weekly that the Orange County School Board is asking to accept an arbitrator's opinion on the insurance issue, a major bone of contention in contract negotiations this year.

“The biggest issue with the gridlock is insurance,” McCracken said in an email. After three years of opposing premium increases, Orange County Public Schools said inflationary pressures require changes to existing health insurance plans.

But a recent Mercer analysis of 1,700 employers nationwide found that employers expect total health benefits per employee to increase by an average of 5.4% this year, according to the union. The union warned that in dollars and cents, the average cost of health insurance for Orange County teachers with family coverage would increase by more than $1,500 under the district's proposal.

“The irony is striking: Teachers dedicate their careers to caring for other people's children, but when it comes to their own children, they have to fend for themselves,” the union said in an updated report on October collective bargaining.

State Reps. Anna Askmany and Tom Kean, both Democrats representing Orange and Osceola counties, called on the county to accept the special judge's opinion.

“I urge our district to listen to the special judge and support all of our teachers without delay,” Eskamani wrote in a social media post. Keane, who was elected to his seat last month, said he was "fully supportive" of the alliance.

“Teachers are the backbone of our education system and it is important that their voices are heard and their safety comes first,” he said.

Baca Juga

The Orange County Teachers Association represents approximately 13,600 Orange County public school teachers and negotiates new contracts with the school district each year.

Last August, the district announced it was at odds with the union over disagreements during negotiations.

The district agreed to a 2 percent cost of living adjustment (COLA) and even larger raises for teachers rated “effective” and “highly effective,” according to the CTA. "Effective" teachers would receive a 5.75% COLA increase if the agreement is ratified, and "highly effective" teachers would receive a 7.7% COLA increase.

The union is also fighting for higher bonuses to retain teachers who stay on the job (Orange County, like other Florida school districts, continues to face teacher shortages) and to make June 16 a paid holiday for about 5,500 teachers. Summer workers.

“It says a lot about what our county stands for,” McCracken, the union president, told Orlando Weekly in August, “but the special judge sided with the county and rejected the change.”

McCracken told Orlando Weekly via email that no date has been set for returning to the negotiating table with the district at this time. “We are waiting to hear whether the district will accept the judges’ recommendations,” he wrote.

In the meantime, the coalition is asking community members to contact the Orange County School Board and urge them to accept the recommendations.

“Now is the time to join our teachers union and support this recommendation to end the impasse and move us forward!” »Senate candidate Carlos Guillermo Smith wrote in a message released by the association.

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