Employees of the Kern Community College District could be subject to caps on their health care benefits.
Interim Associate Chancellor, Human Resources Victor Collins said all employees of the district, classified staff, faculty and administration could all be affected by what he calls a “cost containment” measure.Currently the district pays the health care premiums for all full-time employees.
“The district’s been looking at the increased costs along with the financial restrictions of the overall budget … California’s budgets are not in very good shape overall for community colleges,” said Collins. “We have to look at several different ways of doing cost containment. This is but one of them.”
Collins said classified staff is the first group of employees the district is in negotiations with. “CSEA happens to be the first group for which we’re negotiating with. We presented the proposal to them.” He said the district also is having informal discussions with administration.
The district will start negotiations with faculty later this month. “I am sure that (health care benefits cap) will be a topic of our negotiations,” said Collins.
“If we have contract language that says the maximum district contribution is, just for say of taking a number, $1,200 per month, then both the employee organization and the district understand that if we have an increase that looks like the cost for next year’s program is going to be $1,250 per month, then there needs to be additional discussion about what happens with either plan design, or do we have employees making that contribution,” said Collins.
BC faculty union president Kate Pluta questions the district’s actions. “My question to the district is why,” said Pluta, who also is an English professor. “A couple of years ago we changed our health care coverage and reduced costs considerably. We are what’s called in health care circles, a credible district.”
She said the district’s costs for health care have gone down, while health care costs nationwide have been “going up double digits.”
“We’ve been doing such a good job that the district has only budgeted a five percent increase this year,” said Pluta. “We’ve already been concerned about this, in working to have good health care benefits for all employees in the district, but to keep costs low too.”
“I am very troubled about the district’s position on this,” she said.
Faculty is in support of classified staff during their negotiations.
“Last Thursday, (Oct. 6), I addressed the board of trustees and expressed faculty support for the classified staff,” said Pluta.
Jennifer Marden, California School Employees Association chapter president, called the district’s proposal “inequitable.”
“The cap was part of the district’s initial proposal that was submitted in January,” said Marden. “We started with negotiations. When it looked like the district would not move at all on its position we took the action to voice those concerns about the impact of that benefits cap. We had about 50 people at the board of trustees meeting last week, Oct. 6. Several people spoke of the issue.”
“We realize that we couldn’t change their minds in public… We hoped that they would see our concern and realize the value of classified employees,” said Marden.
Collins said negotiations with the classified union are in mediation and the district is currently petitioning the state for a mediator. “It will probably take us almost a month to get someone assigned to us,” said Collins.