Swampscott FD currently against GIC proposal

SWAMPSCOTT – At least two unions in town are opposed to adopting the GIC under the terms currently proposed by the town.According to Swampscott Firefighters Union President William Hyde Jr., the firefighters would vote to adopt the GIC if the town agreed to pay between 80 and 90 percent of the cost of the insurance premium for town employees.Town employees and retirees currently pay 40 percent of their own insurance premiums and the town picks up the remaining 60 percent. According to one member of the Public Employees Committee (PEC), who asked not to be identified, the latest offer from the town would have reduced the percentage of the premium paid by employees from 40 percent to 30 percent by the year 2014. The PEC member added the town can only adopt the GIC for three or six years at a time so the proposal floated by the town has an escape clause for 2015.Hyde declined to discuss any specifics related to the negotiation, but he said the consensus among the firefighters is if the town paid the same percentage of health insurance costs for its employees that the state pays the union, they would be on board with the GIC.”We’d gladly take it if the town offered us the same 90/10 or even 80/20 split state employees are getting,” Hyde said. “If we got the same split, it makes the higher co-pays and deductibles a little easier to take.”William Wollerscheid, who represents the retirees on the PEC, said there are approximately 400 retired teachers and retired town employees he represents.”We are against the GIC,” he said. “Retirees are on limited incomes. The co-pays (with the GIC) would be astronomical for anyone with health problems. What are they supposed to do, give up eating or give up heating their homes?”The PEC is comprised of 10 people. There is one representative from each of the unions in town and one representative for the retirees.Town Administrator Andrew Maylor explained the state requires a 70 percent vote in favor for the town to adopt the GIC. He said the state gives the retirees a 10 percent weighted vote and the other unions get a percentage of the vote based on membership.Several calls to Swampscott Education Association President Paul Maguire were not returned this week, but according to Maylor it is impossible for the GIC to pass without the support of the teachers union.The largest voting bloc is the teachers union, which Maylor said carries approximately 58 weighted percent of the vote. He said mathematically the GIC could not be adopted without the support of the teachers. According to Maylor, the school clerical union is another 4 percent of the weighted vote and school custodians have 3 percent. The police department has approximately 8 percent, fire has 9 percent and the Department of Public Works has 4 percent. The Town Hall clerical workers have a 3 percent vote and library employees have 1 percent.In order for the town to sign onto the GIC for the next fiscal year it must have a signed Public Employee agreement by Oct. 1.