Left In Lowell

Last night the Lowell City Council adopted Chapter 32B, Section 16, of Massachusetts state law allowing the City to offer HMO to City Employees. The Councilors voted 8-0 (one absent) to adopt this provision; something that should have been done over a decade ago when the City began to offer HMO as an option in the healthcare benefits to its employees.

This in itself is not a major issue but the City is currently involved in prolonged contract negotiations (now in arbitration) with the school employees’ union, including the United Teachers of Lowell, led by ubiquitous, vocal, opinionated Paul Georges.

Mr. Georges is currently not teaching but serving as President of the Merrimack Central Labor Council as well as President of UTL. He has taken the issue public and has on numerous occasions and in a number of different forums expressed his opposition to the vote. In a letter he wrote to the Sun, which was published yesterday, Mr. Georges lays out his concerns:

The United Teachers of Lowell have never taken the position against adoption of that law, which allows communities to offer HMOs in addition to the traditional Master Medical health plan. We do, however, oppose the way City Manager Bernard Lynch has chosen to interpret that law in terms of collective bargaining, which constitutes a radical departure from the interpretation taken by every city manager since 1996 when the first city unions, through collective bargaining, accepted the HMO and other health-insurance plans for their members.

In other words they want to bargain this benefit; they will allow the city to offer this option but the City needs to give something back in return. Well, it may be a “radical departure” but these are radical times.

We, like every other cities and towns in Massachusetts, cannot continue to pay the ever rising costs of municipal government. As it was pointed out, in 2000 the cost of healthcare for the city was $ 13M; now 7 years later, the cost is $ 28M. Additionally, our health insurance trust funds have been depleted and new legislation requires us to fully fund it. Where are we going to get all this money? Let them negotiate for other types of benefits, please. Also, as it was stated last night the unions still can bargain the parameters of the implementation, can’t they?

One of Mr. Georges’ complaints about CM Bernie Lynch is that he “hired outside lawyers” to render the opinion CM Lynch was seeking. I found that to be disingenuous on Mr. Georges’ part. Guess what last night most of the people who spoke against the measure were “hired outside union business agents.” That is how negotiations take place, you have professionals handle the discussion.

Furthermore, I like most residents of this City do not like to be threatened with lawsuits or legal actions if we do not do what is demanded. I do not know why this tactic was used last night during the public hearing prior to the vote. Legal threats do not influence my opinion on what is right thing to do.

A better tactic would have been to have dozens of long time school employees, Lowell residents and taxpayers address the City Council and express their concerns. There was one former teacher who spoke although the hall was filled with union people. Another thing, if it is true that the other City unions were as concerned about this as the UTL, why didn’t they speak up last night?

The Sun had an editorial urging the City to pass this vote and there was another letter to the editor published on this issue. I chose not to link to either. As we all know, the Sun editorial position has not been favorable to UTL or Mr. Georges. However, Christopher Scott had an informative article last week giving the background to last night’s showdown. Also, there was another letter was in part a personal attack of Mr. Georges. Some of it may be valid but in the same way I find the personal attack on CM Lynch by so-called “union types” self-serving, I found the letter’s criticism of Mr. Georges inappropriate for this discussion.