With strike days away, Decatur teaching assistants say health insurance proposals not fully explained

Oct. 27--DECATUR -- The union representing Decatur teaching assistants says the school district did not provide details about part of its health insurance proposal during contract talks, which have stalled and could result in a strike Tuesday.

Members of the Decatur Federation of Teaching Assistants have set the strike date if they can't come to an agreement with the school district. Health benefit costs have been one of the major sticking points in the talks that began in April, according to the union.

The district's proposal, published on its website, includes two plans: a high-deductible "silver" plan and a lower-deductible "gold" plan. Both have separate cost structures depending on whether the coverage is for a single employee or includes a spouse, children or both.

High-deductible insurance plans generally offer lower monthly premium payments with a higher upfront payment cost. Under the silver plan, the district would cover the entire cost of monthly premiums for a single employee, and 85% of the monthly cost for the other categories of coverage.

In a statement released Saturday, the union said the district did not explain the silver plan. Previously, union leaders had said the district's health insurance proposal would cost too much for teaching assistants whose average salary is $20,000.

"The Union was never given the opportunity by the district to study this (silver) plan in bargaining or in mediation," the union said in a statement, continuing: "The Union, of course, welcomes any proposals on this plan (or anything else) the district might make available to the Union through the federal mediator."

Chief Operational Officer Todd Covault said the union did have access to information about the plan.

"Everything the board does is in the public," Covault said in a message Saturday. "The plan was presented by the insurance negotiations committee at the Aug. 6, 2019, board meeting. DFTA holds three positions on the committee."

The union represents 275 hearing interpreters, licensed practical nurses, hearing-vision technicians and teaching assistants who have been working without a contract since the academic year started in August. The sides have met multiple times with a federal mediator, most recently on Oct. 23.

Single employees currently pay $900 per year for health insurance, and those with family coverage pay $3,300 annually. The money is paid over 18 pay periods, or the nine months of the year that teaching assistants work.

Under the gold plan, annual costs would be the following in fiscal year 2023, the final year of the contract:

* $1,471.56 for a single employee;

* $5,650.56 for an employee and spouse;

* $5,503.44 for an employee and children;

* $8,159.28 for a family.

Annual costs for employees under the silver plan for fiscal year 2023 would be:

* $2,355.48 for an employee and spouse;

* $2,294.16 for an employee and children;

* $3,864.48 for a family.

A single employee's premiums would be covered by the district. That employee would have a $2,100 deductible under the silver plan during 2019 and it could be increased in future years, Covault said. The deductible for a single employee under the gold plan is $750 and will increase to $1,000 in 2021, he said.

Covault said the high-deductible plan, approved by the school board in August, will be available to teachers, maintenance and custodians, security, teamsters, administrators, administrative support and ancillary staff starting Jan. 1, with enrollment in a few weeks. The only groups for which the plan is not currently available would be DFTA, as it is negotiating now, and Decatur Educational Support Personnel Association, secretarial staff whose current contract runs through June 30, 2021.

Health insurance costs were a sticking point in the most recent mediation session, according to the union. It said the district's bargaining team had communicated that there would be no movement on health insurance premiums because the school board voted 7-0 against doing so. Given an hour to reconsider, the district came back with a proposal to increase hourly wages by 18 cents in the first two years of the contract and 23 and 24 cents, respectively, the third and fourth years, the union said.

Both sides have said repeatedly that they want to avoid a strike and would bargain as long as the other was willing to participate. Parents have expressed concerns at board meetings and on social media about how a strike would affect their children, particularly those with special needs who rely on help from aides.

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Union members are planning to rally at 3:30 p.m. Monday at the Keil Administration Building, 101 W. Cerro Gordo St.

"We had a huge turnout of members this morning to make signs at our Strike Headquarters," union President Paula Busboom said in a statement. "Members are very somber at the thought of striking, but they remain quite determined to strike if the board won't bargain."

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Decatur Public Schools Proposals

Health Insurance Costs

Wage Proposal

Salary Table

Side-by-Side Health Insurance Plan Comparison

Note: The far-right plan, in orange, is the "silver plan" discussed in negotiations.

Decatur Federation of Teaching Assistants Proposal

Current DFTA Contract

Contact Allison Petty at (217) 421-6986. Follow her on Twitter: @allison0512

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