Page 9 - Work Force March 2019

New prescription drug plan a ‘win-win’
SYRACUSE — The vast majority
of voting CSEA members working
for Onondaga County approved a change to the county’s prescription drug plan, proposed by the county’s unions, that will save money for both taxpayers and union workers.
By an overwhelming majority, in a secret ballot vote, the workers approved the new Specialty Prescription Drug
Cost Share Assistance Program, negotiated between the county’s multiple unions in the joint Labor-Management Health Care Coalition, with professional assistance from CSEA’s Health Benefits Department.
Both union and county leaders hailed the program as a means to contain increasing health care costs.
“This is a win- win for county workers and taxpayers,” said CSEA Onondaga County Local President Dan Vadala. “We were pleased that
we were able to
work with the
other county
unions and our new administration to implement this cost-savings
for everyone involved. This is an outstanding example of what can result when we work cooperatively to address our concerns.”
“This vote is great news for everyone and an example of what we can accomplish when we work
together,” County Executive Ryan McMahon said.“My team looks forward to finding additional ways we can work with our union partners to better serve both the workers and taxpayers of Onondaga County.”
The union brought in CSEA
Health Benefits Specialist Chuck Guild to help negotiate the terms of
a Memorandum of Agreement that created the program, which adds a fourth tier to the workers’ existing prescription coverage to cover “specialty” drugs. The new tier ensures that both the worker and the county will always pay the lowest net cost for the medication.
This change was needed because the health plan’s spending on specialty drugs is expected to approach more than 50 percent of
total drug cost spending in the next year. Specialty drugs are more costly drugs that often treat primarily chronic disease states, including autoimmune diseases, hepatitis
C, and multiple sclerosis. These medications often require special handling and additional patient monitoring.
While only about 200 county workers covered by the plan are currently taking advantage of
drugs that would fall under the specialty category, the plan change is expected to save the health plan more than $950,000 dollars per year.
Our union expects part of that savings will be passed along to workers in the future.
— Mark M. Kotzin
CSEA activism is love story for Westchester couple
WHITE PLAINS — There’s a lot to love about unions.
Thanks to a strong labor movement, we have the protections of union contracts, better health care benefits, workplace safety provisions and a voice on the job.
CSEA Westchester County Unit members Elio and Kimberly Giuliani also gained something additional through our union: marriage.
While the duo knew of each
other in passing from attending union meetings, the seeds of their relationship were first planted when, in 2003, Elio volunteered to head a committee to create a new union newsletter.
“Kim came to the meeting for
our newsletter committee, which was where I first got to really know her,” said Elio, a longtime CSEA activist currently serving as unit treasurer and a Westchester County Local delegate. “That grew into a friendship as she became more involved in our union. I mentored her when she agreed to serve as unit secretary.”
The two got to know each other
over a number of years before Cupid struck.
“He finally asked me out in 2011,” said Kimberly, smiling as
she recounted the memory. “It took forever! I’d been waiting.”
Being together in union negotiations, rallies and meetings, the duo skipped past the sometimes awkward “getting to know you” phase of dating.
With much of their time together spent in negotiations for a new union contract, Kimberly and Elio realized they shared a knack for number crunching and the research that goes along with that process.
While the Westchester County Unit was unable to come to terms with the former county executive’s administration (that changed after current County Executive George Latimer was elected), the two eventually decided the time was right to enter into another sort of contract.
They married in June 2014 at a hotel just a few streets away from the Westchester County Unit office.
Now coming up on their fifth
Elio and Kimberly Giuliani wearing their “I Love Unions” stickers on Valentine’s Day.
Vadala
wedding anniversary, the Giulianis enjoy bicycling along the county’s bike paths, canvassing for local candidates, taking spin and yoga classes together, and traveling,
even arranging a tour of AFSCME headquarters during a trip to Washington, D.C.. Wherever they go, they wear their CSEA apparel with pride and find our union to be a conversation starter.
“Wherever we go, we have people come up to us and say, ‘Hey,
I’m CSEA, too!’” said Kimberly,
who currently serves as 2nd vice president of the Westchester County Local. “Our members are everywhere and we’re always happy to meet people from other locals and units. It’s a great chance to talk about everything we get through our union.”
In the case of the Giulianis, those union benefits include happily ever
after.
— Jessica Ladlee
March 2019
The Work Force 9