Re: State Sen. Karen Keiser’s Viewpoint (TNT, 5-5) on health care costs for state employees.
Keiser’s statement, “The state is legally bound to honor its labor contracts until a new one is negotiated,” is correct. But she is incorrect in stating, “We are legally unable to negotiate any changes in the premium until 2010.”
The current contract with 12 percent health care costs ends June 30. The governor’s negotiators and the public unions are negotiating the new two-year contract that takes effect July 1. We hear the unions propose higher health care costs for non-union state workers. This would be a first: financially discriminating against non-union workers with higher health care costs.
Most state workers don’t know they get to vote on these new contracts. If they vote no, the contracts expire June 30. Most state workers were forced to pay union dues without a vote in 2005. If we vote no, we can stop paying union dues that have gone from $40 to $70 a month in three years.
If state worker health care costs must be raised, it should be equal and fair – not a political favor to unions that this year have sued the state, been criminally investigated and still buy political influence with our politicians.
Workers should vote no on the new no-raise contract and keep their dues. (Redmon is president of the Fair Washington Labor Association.)
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