Switch from private health insurer to state program to save district $1.2 million.
By: Emily Craighead
The West Windsor-Plainsboro Education Association voted Thursday to accept a proposed three-year contract agreement with the Board of Education.
"I’m pleased with the results," said Deb DiColo, president of the teachers’ union, which represents the district’s approximately 850 teachers.
A significant change in the contract involves switching from a private health insurance carrier to the State Health Benefits Program, a move expected to save the district $1.2 million in insurance costs.
But switching to the state plan relies on all bargaining units in the district accepting the change, according to board President Hemant Marathe.
The district had reached agreements with the Administrators Association, representing 42 district employees, and the Support Staff Supervisors Association, representing four district employees.
"Almost everything is in place," Mr. Marathe said. "The only piece left is the Service Association."
The Service Association has more than 300 union members, including secretaries, instructional assistants, bus drivers and custodians.
Health benefits were a stumbling block for the Service Association in its most recent contract negotiations with the district. That group worked a year without a contract before reaching an agreement in November that included a re-opener clause for salary and health insurance negotiations for the second and third years of the contract.
With health insurance costs rising nearly 15 percent annually, Mr. Marathe said reaching an agreement that included joining the State Health Benefits Program was an important piece of the negotiations.
The agreement comes after negotiations with the teachers’ union earlier this month broke down over what the union called discrimination and what the board said were financial issues.
The proposed contract, including an average raise of 4.85 percent for each of the three contract years, was nullified when board negotiators and the WWPEA failed to agree on incorporating benefits for domestic partners.
Ms. DiColo and Mr. Marathe did not say how the issue of domestic-partner benefits was resolved.
According to the district, the collapse of the proposed settlement in May could have jeopardized the switch to the State Health Benefits Program in time for the next contract year.
The proposed settlement had been facilitated by a Public Employment Relations Commission-appointed mediator.
After negotiations stalled in May, both sides worked with a fact-finder to reach a broader understanding of the issues on the table.
Further details of the new agreement are expected to be released today.
However, Mr. Marathe said the contract does not differ greatly from the previously proposed agreement.
"There’s nothing in there that’s a surprise," he said.
Negotiations for the WWPEA’s new contract, which will take effect July 1, began in October 2004. The contract will run through June 30, 2008.
The Administrators Association’s contract agreement calls for salary increases of 4.45 percent the first year, 4.3 percent the second year and 4.25 percent the third year. The Support Staff Supervisors Association’s contract agreement calls for salary increases of 4.25 percent for the first two years and 4.2 percent for the third year.
The members of the district’s negotiations committee are board members Stan Katz, Robert Johnson and Henry Wieck.
"As all negotiations go, it was stop and start, but in the end, both sides worked together," Mr. Marathe said. "I’m really pleased with the result."
The board is expected to ratify the contract at its June 14 meeting at Community Middle School.