Serving as co-chief negotiator, MEA UniServ Director Melissa Sortman lead efforts on behalf of the APA and the Coalition of Labor Organizations at MSU to negotiate a successor health care and wage agreement with the University. Throughout negotiations, updates were provided in our newsletter articles, discussions took place during official APA meetings, and 36 APA small community luncheons were held around campus.
The bargaining team reached a tentative health care agreement with the University on June 24, 2013 at 11:50p.m. The agreement includes no concessions.
The tentative agreement contains a four-year plan that provides quality health care coverage with a fully funded option for the period starting January 1, 2014 and ending December 31, 2017.
Under our current health care and wage agreement, our annual health care spend was to remain under a 5% increase each year. Due to the effective stewardship of APA members and other support staff, we saved millions of dollars below our annual targets.
Through having an equal voice with the University at the bargaining table, the APA and other unions were able to achieve recognition of our health care stewardship. As a result, current APA bargaining unit members as of January 1, 2014, will receive a health care savings disbursement provided in their January 2014 paycheck for health care savings achieved between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2013.
An additional health care savings disbursement will be provided to members in their January 2015 paycheck for all current APA bargaining unit members as of January 1, 2015, for health care savings achieved between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014.
The final savings has not been finalized so we do not currently know the exact amount of the disbursements. Yet, we are confident it will be hundreds of dollars to each union member.
Through the tentative agreement, we will return to the historical practice of tying salary increases to increases in health care using the following matrix:
We also made significant progress to our health care plan by adding Autism coverage for children 0-8 years of age. Complete details of the coverage can be found in the tentative agreement posted on the APA website (www.msuapa.org).
The APA Executive Board reviewed and discussed the tentative agreement during the meeting on Tuesday, July 23, 2013. The APA Executive Board unanimously voted to transmit the tentative agreement to the APA membership with recommendation to ratify.
The APA has posted a copy of the complete health care tentative agreement on the APA website as well as a summary page to help explain the main elements of the tentative agreement. The tentative agreement and the summary can be found under the Health Care and Wages link on the APA website (www.msuapa.org) or by clicking on the following link: http://lay.wyz.mybluehost.me/?page_id=1530
The APA has scheduled information sessions as an opportunity for members to openly discuss questions and concerns regarding the tentative agreement. The APA information sessions will be held:
Thursday, August 1, from 5:15pm – 6:30pm in Com Arts room 147
Friday, August 2, from 7:45am – 8:45am in Berkey Hall room 117
Friday, August 2, from 12noon – 1:15pm in Wells Hall room B122
In addition to the APA member sessions, the Coalition of Labor Organizations at MSU will be hosting several sessions, which will cover the same information presented in the APA sessions, which you are also invited to attend:
Tuesday, July 30, 5pm-7pm, Erickson Room 252
Wednesday, July 31, 11am-1pm, Vet Med, Room A174 N&S
Monday, August 5, 5pm-7pm, Comm Arts, Room 171
Tuesday, August 6, 11am-1:30pm, Int’l Center Room 117
Tuesday, August 6, 8pm-10pm, Phys Plant
Friday, August 9, 11am-1:30pm, Admin Bldg, Room 155
The health care tentative agreement requires ratification by each constituent labor union. The anticipated calendar for the APA health care and wage tentative agreement ratification vote is August 2 – 15. Once electronic balloting opens, you will receive an email with the link to the online ballot.
Please take time to review the health care tentative agreement as well as the summary provided for you on the APA website.
The APA and Coalition bargaining team is proud to recommend the tentative agreement, believing that it exemplifies the value of unions. The employer, the students and the taxpayers of Michigan benefit as we continue to explore the most effective way to steward our health care.
At the same time, the unions protected workers from the impact of major cost shifting and benefit cutting measures being implemented by other Universities and public and private employers throughout Michigan. Without the hard work of the APA/MEA/NEA and other unions, and by having an equal voice at the table with MSU, the employees would be paying far more for health care.
Please feel free to attend an information session or contact us at the APA office at 517.353.4898 if you have questions or concerns you would like to discuss.