Union medical coverage change approved

By Dana Casadei

The Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees on Monday, August 11, voted 7-0 in favor of making adjustments to eight labor unions’ medical, prescription, dental and vision insurance for 2026.

The move will go into effect come January of next year, and will have no impact on the current budget because it will only be for the first three months of the year before a new budget. These anticipated changes were included in the budget calculations for the coming fiscal year.

Modifications for the medical insurance will change the in-network out-of-pocket maximum to $3,000 for one person and $6,000 for a family; decrease the payroll deduction to be more on track with local municipalities, even though the rates of $25 single and $50 family are still higher than many (this payroll deduction happens for 24 pays per year); and will allow for dependent children to stay on their parents insurance until they are 26, taking away the prior requirement that those under 26 staying on their parents insurance had to be in school.

Each letter of agreement across the unions came with the same modifications.

“I think this is smart for us to be able to do this and make it the same across the unions,” said trustee Chris Kolinski.

Even though the changes won’t go into effect until next January, township treasurer Michael Schostak brought this before the board this summer because they’re under a bit of a time constraint. In order to modify the medical insurance plan for township employees they would need to notify their insurance by November 1.

Schostak said thee township will have all eight letters of agreement incorporated into each parties’ collective bargaining agreement done by this fall.

Of those eight labor unions, seven had ratified and signed the letter of agreement before the meeting. Those seven letters were approved unanimously by the board, giving supervisor Mike McCready and clerk Martin Brook the authorization to sign the agreements.

A separate motion was made for the firefighters union, which was not able to get its letter of agreement signed prior to the board of trustees meeting. This motion passed unanimously as well, subject to union ratification.

The eight labor unions that will be impacted are the Government Employees Labor Council that includes the Bloomfield Township general employees, department heads and deputy department heads; Bloomfield Township DPW foreman, supervisors, and maintenance employees; the Bloomfield Township police officers labor council and police department command unit; the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local UA Bloomfield Township DPW; and the Bloomfield Township Association of Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 3045.