Eau Claire County insurance dispute likely to set precedent [The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.]

Feb. 17--A dispute between Eau Claire County and its sheriff's deputies union over whether the deputies have the right to bargain over their health insurance deductibles is being watched by police and fire unions and municipal leaders across the state.

The county and the deputies union are awaiting a decision from the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission on the matter. In the meantime, their contract negotiations, which are set to enter arbitration, are at an impasse.

The state budget lawmakers passed last summer stripped police unions of the right to bargain over the types of insurance plans municipalities choose for their employees, a measure aimed at saving local governments money.

The Wisconsin Professional Police Association, which represents the county's sheriff deputies, argues the law doesn't go so far, however, as to prevent police unions from negotiating deductibles and premiums.

"We acknowledge the employer has the ability to select the health insurance plan, but we still believe we can bargain over who has to pay for that plan," said Jim Palmer, WPPA executive director.

The county agrees premiums have to be bargained. But it doesn't agree deductibles can be bargained, said Eau Claire County attorney Keith Zehms. He said the union's interpretation of the law would undercut its aim.

"The union's goal is simply to shift the cost of the health insurance to the county," Zehms wrote in a legal brief to the WERC.

Zehms said the deputies union is looking to cap employees' portion of the deductibles at current levels -- $250 for singles plans and $500 for family plans.

While the county is not looking to raise deductibles at this time, Zehms said, it wants to retain the ability to change deductible rates, both the amount it would pay and the amount employees would pay. Doing so could save the county on health insurance costs in the future, he said.

The county and the deputies union began negotiations in December 2010, the parties entered mediation this summer, and when they couldn't come to an agreement, the union filed for arbitration, Zehms said. The parties are awaiting the WERC's ruling so they can complete their arbitration. The committee is expected to give its ruling on the matter soon.

Similar disputes in Green Bay and Milwaukee are being hashed out in district court.

Meanwhile, municipal and union officials from around the state are awaiting the WERC's ruling on the dispute because it will set a statewide precedent, Palmer said.

"The decision in the Eau Claire County case is going to have a huge statewide impact," Palmer said. "It's going to be a big deal. It's going to affect every policeman and firefighter in Wisconsin."

Swedien can be reached at 715-833-9214, 800-236-7077 or [email protected].

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