The sides exchanged and requested information Friday.
Sharon's 15 collective bargaining groups and the Sharon Insurance Advisory Committee exchanged and requested information Friday, their first meeting since selectmen voted to begin the process of changing town employees' health insurance benefits on Jan. 10. Friday's meeting went "as well as could be expected," said Pete Schoonmaker, spokesman for the Public Employee Committee. The committee includes 11 members, representing Sharon's 15 collective bargaining groups, said Schoonmaker, a Sharon teacher representing the Sharon Teachers Association and the instructional assistants. Sharon's retirees are among those represented on the committee. "No real negotiating took place," Schoonmaker said Friday night. The next meeting is Wednesday, "when…
42.12047
-71.18085
Sharon Town Offices
90 S Main St, Sharon, MA
/articles/sharon-unions-town-begin-insurance-talk
203522
/locations/6505655
Town says proposal will reduce the plan's cost by $655,212 in year one.
Town officials Wednesday proposed municipal health insurance changes they project reducing the health plan's cost by $655,212 for the fiscal year starting July 1. Sharon employees countered that the move will hurt them financially through higher co-pays. The proposal would reduce employee and Medicare retirees' share of the rates by $174,143, according to an executive summary of the plan. Also, Sharon would mitigate the impacts by setting aside $163,803, not taking it in employee and retiree contributions for three weeks during the next fiscal year. "People are going to start thinking,'Gee, do I have the money?'" one woman said. "This stuff is something that will make those of us with kids think twice, and it's not going to be right." The …
42.12047
-71.18085
Sharon Town Offices
90 S Main St, Sharon, MA
/articles/sharon-employees-say-health-insurance-proposal-hurts
203522
/locations/6389044
Constance Keegan
8:13 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
...and know that the state negioates hard to keep quality up and costs down. Of course health care costs continue to rise so the cost of the plans do too. Could someone from the town tell me with specific numbers, how much the money difference is for a town worker. Remember, this is 2012...and our taxes are extremely high compared to other towns. Thanks... more ›