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Last Update: 1/5/2010 |
2010 LCC-MAHE Senate Meeting Schedule
February 8, 2010 February 22, 2010
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November 23, 2009
Members of our
Association watched with interest during Dr. Knight's testimony to the
Michigan House Committee on Public Employee Health Care on Thursday,
November 19, 2009. We believe he left House Committee members with a
false impression about the level of healthcare coverage that the majority
of Lansing Community College (“LCC”) employees maintain. ...and LCC-MAHE's response to Dr. Knight to correct the record:
RE: Concerns Regarding Your Testimony in Front of the Michigan House Committee
Dear Dr. Knight:
Members of our Association watched with interest during your testimony to the Michigan House Committee on Public Employee Health Care on Thursday, November 19, 2009. We believe you left House Committee members with a false impression about the level of healthcare coverage that the majority of Lansing Community College (“LCC”) employees maintain. We wish to correct the record.
As you no doubt know, very few employees at LCC have the same $2 prescription drug benefit and the more expensive fee-for-service health plan that you have chosen for yourself. This is concerning because you misled the House Committee to believe that "all LCC employees" have healthcare coverage, the same $2 co-payment for prescriptions, and the same health plan that you maintain.
The fact is, LCC has 2600+ employees, and 80% of these employees do not have healthcare coverage. Of those 540 LCC employees that have healthcare coverage, only 11 individuals are enrolled in the same fee-for-service health plan you have enrolled in with a $2 prescription drug card. The other 529 LCC employees who have healthcare coverage have enrolled in a far less costly plan with higher prescription drug co-payments.
It is also a fact that you have made a decision to choose the coverage and co-payments you currently maintain; or alternatively, you have failed to elect the less costly plan. To your credit, you, and another 10 LCC employees, pay an additional monthly premium for the more expensive and benefit-rich plan of your choice. However, this also underscores the fact you have made a presumably informed decision to purchase a higher level of coverage with a reduced prescription drug co-payment.
If you are truly bothered by your co-payment when you stand in line at Walgreen's to fill a prescription, as you stated to the House Committee, then you alone are responsible for this personal decision. It is inherently suspect that you, in front of the House Committee, abhor the fact that you maintain at $2 prescription drug card, when there is a less costly drug card program available through the College.
The fact of the matter is that LCC employees, like many other public sector employees, have made sacrifices in their compensation and benefits for years to assist LCC to reduce costs, maintain a quality staff, and excellent academic programs. In 2002, LCC moved to a less costly point-of-service managed health plan with a $5/$10 prescription drug co-payment that saved LCC a significant premium cost that year and every year thereafter. As mentioned above, there are 529 LCC employees who pay either $5 or $10 per prescription co-payment -- instead of the $2 co-payment you are so embarrassed about paying.
Additionally, this fall through discussions between LCC and employee groups, our employees agreed with the LCC administration to transition, effective January 1, 2010, to a MESSA PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) health plan, with a $5/$10 drug card, a $100/$200 in-network annual deductible, and a $250/$500 out-of-network annual deductible. These deductibles are paid directly by the employees, in addition to the monthly employee premium sharing that already exists. LCC’s employees, so to not raise the level of healthcare costs at the College, approved this transition. Ultimately, if you are truly suffering a crisis of "conscience”, as you testified before the House Committee, we invite you to join the 529 employees at LCC by choosing the same coverage for yourself that we have chosen.
Furthermore, before your testimony Thursday, we had been encouraged by our recent negotiations with your administration. As we approach bargaining next spring, the sense of trust we had built has been damaged by your misstatements before the House Committee. It is our hope that we can look at ways to bridge this gap. However, your recent attack on principals of collective bargaining against LCC’s employee groups may be devastating to this relationship.
Please contact me if you wish to discuss this matter further.
Respectfully yours,
Cindy Storie LCC-MAHE Faculty President LCC-MAHE Office: 517-483-1891
cc: Members of Committee on Public Employee Health Care
Pam Byrnes
(D), Committee Chair, 52nd District
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Highlighting Lansing 150 Laborfest
June 15, 2009 Board of
Trustees Meeting Demonstration
NO LAYOFFS AT LCC! The Fight Continues...Check Back Here Often for Updates
CURRENT
CONTRACT AND 2005-2010 Faculty Association Contract
THE COMPENSATION
GRIEVANCE SETTLEMENT
The Letter of Agreement on Banner (December, 2007) The Letter of Agreement on Student Feedback (January, 2008) The Letter of Agreement on Leaves (July, 2008) The Letter of Agreement for Interpreters (August, 2008) The Letter of Agreement on NSF Fellowship (November, 2008) The Grievance Settlement on Overload (May, 2009) Memorandum of Understanding on the issuance of pay (Sept. 2009) Memorandum of Understanding to clarify pay for curriculum work (Sept. 2009) Letter of Agreement regarding the July 3-5, 2010 holiday schedule (Sept. 2009)
Letter of Agreement regarding Professional Development Days for
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