Nov. 16, 2020 — In a show of solidarity, union members gather outside the City of Jamestown Municipal Building to protest a budget proposal that would have diminished retiree healthcare benefits. Photos: Ove Overmyer, CSEA ©2020
Jamestown – As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge, state and local governments are scrambling to balance budget shortfalls while an ineffectual lame-duck Congress continues to drag its feet on delivering much-needed aid to local municipalities.
This scenario is playing out all over the nation, while at the same time public employees and retirees are emerging as targets of injustice for reasons of expediency.
On Monday November 30, the Jamestown City Council approved several amendments before passing a 2021 budget, the most significant being no changes to health insurance coverage for Medicare-eligible retirees. It didn’t happen without a fight.
Earlier this year, Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist and the council publicly discussed the change that was supposedly going to save the city over $1.1 million in health care costs.
Mayor Sundquist wanted to force retirees 65 and over onto Medicare instead of the city-funded negotiated insurance plan with the hope it would be one way to cut city expenses. When the public was first notified of his unilateral plan, many stakeholders came forward to point out his proposal not only violated city collective bargaining agreements, it reneged on hard-earned benefits earned by retirees.
A week before the budget vote, several council members said they didn’t think the proposal should remain in the budget, with one reason being the change was not negotiated with the city’s six collective bargaining units. This was an argument first presented to council by the city unions who represent the retirees affected by the change in policy.
Making our voices heard
Bonnie Peters
In a show of solidarity, union members from CSEA joined forces with AFSCME Local 418, IAFF Local 137 and the Kendall Club Police Benevolent Association by staging a rally on November 16 to demonstrate their opposition to the proposed changes to the retiree healthcare provisions. More than 150 people attended the COVID-19 conscious demonstration, sharing personal stories with local media and chanted, “Hands of my healthcare!”
After the city council budget meeting on November 30, CSEA Western Region President Steve Healy said, “We demanded Jamestown city officials make no changes to retiree health care provisions spelled out in our contracts, and they heard us loud and clear. We demanded our retiree members be held harmless throughout the 2021 Executive Budget process and that is exactly what happened.”
CSEA Chautauqua County Local President Bonnie Peters said if the Mayor and the council ignored union demands, all six city unions would have vigorously pursued legal remedies to keep our retired working families whole.
“We are very satisfied how the council voted, and we hope this sends a strong message to other municipalities that you can expect a labor fight if you try to circumvent the language in our collective bargaining agreements,” said Peters. She added, “We just want an element of trust and transparency present in our relationships with our elected officials. Is that too much to ask?”
-Ove Overmyer
