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| Flint 1 MEA 0 | |
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| Topic Started: Nov 3 2009, 09:42 PM (175 Views) | |
| LPS Reformer | Nov 3 2009, 09:42 PM Post #1 |
The schools exist to educate, not employ.
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November 3, 2009 Flint school board wins policyholder court fight, kicks MESSA to the curb Remember when we recently passed on some advice from a veteran school administrator regarding a promising way for districts to dump MESSA? It involves school boards declaring themselves the health insurance policyholder, which takes away the union’s right to negotiate the insurance provider. Now there’s proof positive that this strategy works, even when challenged in court. Less than a month ago the cash-strapped Flint school board declared itself the insurance policyholder in that district, kicked MESSA to the curb and contracted with HealthPlus of Michigan. The district expects to save about $3 million per year with the new insurance coverage. As expected, the MEA challenged the board action in court. But the district won a huge victory Friday when a Genesee County Circuit Court judge ruled that the school board acted within its rights under state law. That allowed the district to impose the new insurance on district employees, effective Nov. 1. Kendall Williams, attorney for the school district, said he believes the victory will be final, at least as far as the courts are concerned. FOLLOWING THE LETTER OF THE LAW Williams doesn’t expect the union to appeal because the school district closely followed the letter of the law. Not only did the board exercise its right to become the insurance policyholder, but it was careful to find replacement insurance that offers the exact same benefits as the old MESSA plan, at much less cost. By finding new coverage that duplicates the old, the school board also eliminated the union’s legal right to negotiate the terms of insurance coverage, Williams said. “The law that gives school districts the right become the policyholder is very, very clear,” Williams told the Insider. ”We were very confident in that. The part that was challenging was finding a mirror form of insurance that offered the exact same coverage. We were fortunate to find a company that was willing to partner with us and help us out with that. “Since we were not changing the level of benefits, the teachers were in no different position and therefore there was nothing to negotiate.” The MEA is still challenging the school board’s decision before the Michigan Employee Relations Commission, with a hearing scheduled for February. While the district will be represented at that hearing, it already went ahead with its plan to implement the new insurance coverage, Williams said. And the school board is not satisfied with simply ridding itself of MESSA. It’s currently negotiating a new contract with district teachers, and is pushing a plan to make them pay for 10 percent of the new insurance coverage, as well as various deductibles. “(MESSA) boosted our premiums 18 percent July 1, and that’s what prompted our board to say they couldn’t stand for this any longer,” Williams said. “The union knew we were going to seek changes in insurance and they were dragging their feet at the bargaining table. This was a huge victory for us.” When asked if he expected other school boards around the state to use the same strategy to dump MESSA, Williams said he wasn’t sure. “Most boards are nervous about throwing down the gauntlet,” he said. “It’s my understanding that the Grand Rapids school board considered it, but opted not to. The challenge is finding new coverage that’s exactly the same. We were able to overcome that challenge and now we’re saving $250,000 every month.” MEA GETTING EVEN MORE AGGRESSIVE While it’s clear that the MEA is fighting a losing battle on a number of issues critical to our schools, the union is definitely still fighting. Remember, today is Election Day in many school districts across the state. In one district, Leslie, the union is trying to recall two veteran board members as revenge for a decision to privatize custodial and grounds keeping services, at an estimated savings of $160,000 per year for the small district. And we’ve heard from sources in three districts – Birmingham, Rochester and DeWitt – that the union is aggressively backing hand-picked school board candidates who subscribe to the MEA agenda. In two of those districts, Birmingham and DeWitt, the school board recently voted to privatize support services, and the union wants to get even. In Rochester, the union is apparently upset over the lack of a new contract for three of its bargaining units, and apparently was counting on an undisputed election. Things didn’t work out that way, and the local MEA, which is backing four candidates, let its members know about it. “Unfortunately, a very divisive and extremely disrespectful former school board member has mounted a write-in campaign,” a union flier cried out. “We cannot allow his aggressive followers with their anti-public schools/anti-school employees agenda to catch our members asleep at the wheel. The community thought this was a no-contest election and we run the risk of them staying at home. We need all bodies at the polls.” The flier left out a line, which we’ll add: “All for the kids, of course.” The silver lining is that many school board members, originally elected with the union’s blessing, turn out to be highly critical of the MEA once they get a glimpse of reality from the other side. But that’s no reason for administrators and current school board members to be complacent. We’re in a war for the financial survival of our schools, and control of the educational agenda in the future. We believe local boards should be more aggressive in seeking savings through health insurance alternatives and contracting of support services, and should push for various types of reform, like increased teacher accountability and merit pay for outstanding educators. This crucial battle can only be won if our local schools boards demand more than a comfortable truce with their local teachers' unions. |
 LPS Reform Blog++++LPS Salary List 12/07 LPS Salary List 6/09 Contact me at: LPSReformer@gmail.com | |
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| Mrs.M | Nov 4 2009, 08:36 AM Post #2 |
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Advanced Member
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3 MILLION dollar savings! No job losses, no schools closed, and the same benefits. WOW sounds like a no brainer. How beholden is the currentl LPS BOE to the MEA? |
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| LPS Reformer | Nov 4 2009, 07:35 PM Post #3 |
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The schools exist to educate, not employ.
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Bought and paid for with 2 exceptions. |
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LPS Reform Blog++++LPS Salary List 12/07 LPS Salary List 6/09 Contact me at: LPSReformer@gmail.com | |
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| BoaterDan | Nov 5 2009, 09:10 PM Post #4 |
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Advanced Member
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i.e. they get a LOT of help and support around election time. |
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| LPS Reformer | Nov 5 2009, 09:31 PM Post #5 |
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The schools exist to educate, not employ.
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Yep. The MEA alone has been kicking in more and more each year to keep their favored BOE members bought. |
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LPS Reform Blog++++LPS Salary List 12/07 LPS Salary List 6/09 Contact me at: LPSReformer@gmail.com | |
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