Striking Pratt & Whitney workers may soon lose benefits

Pratt & Whitney machinists, who have been on strike since May 5, could soon lose their employee benefits, including health insurance, if the work stoppage extends into a third week.

Starting Monday, more than 3,000 machinists at Pratt & Whitney's plants in East Hartford and Middletown, as well as their dependents, will be generally ineligible for health care benefits and other company-provided benefits, if they are still on strike, according to recent company communications. To mitigate the disruption, leaders of the machinists' union and several elected officials are exploring options such as getting the workers coverage through the state's health insurance marketplace.

The potential termination of the machinists' benefits was communicated to them in a May 8 letter from the company and confirmed Thursday in a written statement. The letter also noted that the machinists' last full company paycheck was on May 8 and that they would not receive another company paycheck during the strike if they did not report to work.

"Striking employees aren't eligible for pay or benefits," company officials said in their new statement. "However, Pratt & Whitney extended benefits coverage for two weeks to allow for employees to make alternate arrangements."

If the machinists lose their company-provided health insurance, they can switch to COBRA -- an option for continuing group health insurance for a limited time -- "under certain benefit plans at your own cost, at the current group annual rates," according to the May 8 letter.

As an alternative to COBRA, union officials at the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) said they are looking into getting the machinists' short-term coverage through Access Health CT, the state's official health insurance marketplace.

Access Health CT officials confirmed Thursday that they had been contacted about assistance for the machinists. They said that there are no restrictions on striking workers signing up for plans through the marketplace, which has more than 153,000 enrollees this year.

"We have been contacted about Pratt & Whitney employees losing health insurance coverage this month, and we are working on arrangements to make information available to them and provide assistance for health coverage enrollment opportunities through Access Health CT," officials with Access Health CT said in a written statement. "As always, we are committed to ensuring all Connecticut residents have access to health coverage."

Several elected officials are also helping the machinists to find coverage through Access Health CT.

"We've been working to set up special health care enrollment fairs next week at union halls in East Hartford and Middletown for the affected workers," state Sen. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, co-chairman of the General Assembly's Human Services Committee, said on Thursday. "Many families are worried about experiencing gaps in coverage, and Access Health has been a wonderful partner. Some workers will be eligible for HUSKY and others for CoveredCT and our private plans."

HUSKY refers to coverage that encompasses Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. CoveredCT refers to a program that offers no-cost health insurance, dental insurance and non-emergency medical transportation to qualifying Connecticut residents between the ages of 19 and 64. CoveredCT enrollees are not eligible for HUSKY because their income is too high.

In addition to any coverage they might obtain through Access Health CT, machinists who perform eight hours of strike duties each week will be eligible to receive weekly checks from an IAM strike fund, according to union officials. A message left Thursday for the union to inquire about the amount of those payments was not immediately returned.

A week and a half into the strike, the company and the union do not appear to have resumed contract discussions. The strike started May 5 after 80% of the machinists voted the previous day to reject the company's contract offer. The company said that its latest proposal included wage increases and larger pension and 401(k) payments. But union officials and many rank-and-file members have said the offer still undervalued the machinists' skills and contributions, and that it did not provide adequate job-security guarantees. Workers are concerned that jobs will be moved to other states.

"The union's negotiating committee stands ready to have substantive discussions with the company's negotiating team," Wayne McCarthy, president of IAM Local 700, which represents about 1,400 Middletown-based workers, said on Wednesday. "Our committee can be ready within an hour's notice. That puts the ball squarely into the company's court."

Pratt & Whitney officials said in their new statement that, "we look forward to resuming negotiations for a mutually beneficial new contract that continues to secure these high paying, high-skilled manufacturing jobs here in Connecticut."

The company's May 8 letter noted that "upon successful ratification of a new union contract and return to work, your benefits will be reactivated on a prospective basis. The processing will occur as soon as administratively possible and could take up to three weeks for all vendors to receive the updated status of your coverage."