Westchester County government employees represented by the Correction Officers Benevolent Association overwhelmingly approved a new contract, under which they will pay a portion of their health care costs.
After working without a contract since the end of 2008, COBA becomes the second of the eight unions representing county employees to reach a contract agreement, with both agreements coming over the last six weeks.
“What has been accomplished here, first with the Teamsters and now with COBA, has been done through the give-and-take of collective bargaining,” said County Executive Rob Astorino in a statement. “This contract is fair to union members and it is fair to our taxpayers who cannot afford the $140 million a year for free health care for our workforce.”
The seven-year contract agreement, which is retroactive to the beginning of 2009, includes annual raises for all current union employees averaging 2.6 percent.
The contract must be approved by the county Board of Legislators before it can take effect.
“This was a hard fought battle where both sides had to consider each other”™s needs and make some difficult compromises,” said Alonzo West, Westchester COBA president, in a statement. “COBA members have been working without a contract for a long time and we wanted to reach a deal that not only protected their interests, but would also provide some stability moving forward.”
Upon ratification, each of the county”™s 690 COBA members will pay for 12.5 percent of the cost of their health care, which, for employees who receive health care under the county”™s self-insured plan administered by POMCO, amounts to roughly $2,600 for families and $986 for individuals.
The employee contribution will rise to 13 percent on Jan. 1, 2013, to 14 percent on Jan. 1, 2014, and to 15 percent on Jan. 1, 2015, with caps to ensure premium on which contributions are based cannot increase more than 6.5 percent annually.
The contract agreement also includes increases in co-payments for doctor visits, emergency room visits and prescription drugs.
New COBA employees will pay 20 percent toward the cost of their health care. The county and COBA have also agreed to a reduced salary schedule for new hires.
Health care contributions have been the sticking point in negotiations between the county and the remaining six unions, which are all working without contracts.
