Comments for Union struggles with health costs at http://tracypress.com , comment 1 to 29 out of 20 comments http://tracypress.com Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:03:30 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-46114 I hate to admit that I do not normally go to my union meetings. I was at the last one and shocked to see certain people treating our own president and the other officers so terrible. This is by far the best president our chapter has ever seen and you fire at her like that? Screaming about bylaws? What an idiot. If you would have stopped flapping your mouth long enough you could have seen in front of your face on the agenda a 2 minute limit. It is always on them. Waving your hand around and rudely making comments the entire meeting? You should really feel embarrassed. It was embarrassing to see and you need to get a life. So does your husband for trying to get out of his supporting the eboard in the vote issue. You need to excuse yourself off the eboard when you can’t stand up for the members as a group. The eboard made a good choice to bring it to us and you stood up there acting like you were not a part. You showed your colors. You both embarrassed yourselves. I am not going to mention names. But you know who you are, the woman in student services, you need to go somewhere else. It is one thing to have an opinion and we all have our own. You were not giving an opinion. You were giving a disrespectful lecture and we didn’t want to hear you. The president was correct in stopping you. As it was she gave you too much time and should have stopped you after the first 2 or 3 minutes instead of over 6 minutes! You were out of lineI don’t know how I am going to vote yet. But I know for sure now, that you are not a credible person. Sorry to the eboard for going through that the other night. We are not all like that. I am with you. Thank you for allowing us to have the insurance information and letting us vote. - Shocked Member Tue, 13 May 2008 09:39:49 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-46113 Glad to hear that. Sorry B-dub! I'm glad I am given a choice. Don't get me wrong, I care about the families. I deal with my own kids. I don't expect the rest of you to pay for them! I don't even want the insurance and need the money for bills. This is the first time that we have been given options. It's about time. - FED UP Tue, 13 May 2008 09:21:45 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-46105 Hey all, back off a little. I'm not complaining about the choices for medical coverage, I'm just complaining about the cost to keep the current plan. I know that having the choices is a good thing. - B-dub Tue, 13 May 2008 08:29:17 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-46041 B-dub. Read your letter! If you are a 8-hour employee you have 7 options to choose from and 6 out of the 7 plans would be free! Free is a darn good price! It would be your choice if you want to have others on there for more money. Its about choice and it's about time we have one! - union member Mon, 12 May 2008 18:36:24 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-46039 Read the letter. You could get coverage for FREE. If you have a family, you can still sign just yourself up for FREE. You can get a cheaper plan on your own, I bet cheaper than the district offers and you will still come out with more money! Hello! You won't have to cut any food groups! Instead of complaining, read the letter. Get a hold of the committee, ask questions and learn before you write remarks! If you still don't like what you learn, then you can vote how you want. - FED UP Mon, 12 May 2008 18:26:15 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-46036 Hey B-dub: At least you have health insurance. Most of us do not! Now there is an option I can think about and I might be able to go for. Maybe now after all these years I can have health insurance too. I have to pay cash for my doctors and prescriptions. Try doing that for a while. That is a much bigger chunk that what I will have to pay if on the new option. At least we will have some choices. I like that. That is how it should be. - TUSD Para Mon, 12 May 2008 18:17:25 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-45965 Its about time they are giving us these options! I too am sick of paying for everyone else's families. How about after you get this changed you start working on adding the amount of our insurance benefits to count towards our retirement pension! This would really help us all out in our retirment years to have a bigger monthly pension check. - saywhat? Mon, 12 May 2008 14:46:40 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-45959 I wonder what basic food group we can delete this month? >:( - B-dub Mon, 12 May 2008 14:26:52 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-45958 If you happen to be a Para-professional, the insurance premium increase will take a big chunk from your paycheck. I know what some will say "Choose another healthcare provider" but Kaiser is out of the question so I guess we'll just have to pay the higher premium to have our PPO. - B-dub Mon, 12 May 2008 14:25:51 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-45918 I am so $#@$## fed up with our high insurance payments. I don't even want it but I have to pay for it anyway. It's about time the union is thinking of other options for us. - FED UP Mon, 12 May 2008 09:55:42 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-45916 I am reading the union letter. The committee has done their homework on this. I'm glad I get to vote on this. I can't keep up with our high payments. I can't pay my bills and have no choice since I have to take the insurance. From what I heard we are not going to get raises either. Thanks for watching out for us. - union member Mon, 12 May 2008 09:52:30 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-45912 It's about time we have a president with some back bone. She and the other officers are on a good path. It's about time we have some other choices and options. Thank you for finally doing something about this. - Concerned classified Mon, 12 May 2008 09:43:12 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-45910 I am glad that the health insurance committee was able to find new information. The eboard is now bringing it to the members and allowing us to vote. Good work. Thank you! - TUSD Para Mon, 12 May 2008 09:29:43 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-45871 Thank you to our chapter 98 officers. I wouldn't want to be in your shoes with some of the members acting like idiots to you. Those aren't many. The rest of us are happy that you are doing your best for us. Denise, keep up the good work. Stay strong! - school employee Sun, 11 May 2008 21:06:13 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-45870 Thanks to Denise and the rest of the eboard for having the guts to bring this insurance information before the members. There are some who are angry that they are giving members a say so? I say “keep it up!” I expect my eboard to be honest with me and have some guts! Stand up for us members! What they are doing is the union way. We deserve this right to vote. This is excellent leadership… putting our needs before their own. We all received the letters. We need to read them, study them and go vote. We finally have some choices! It’s about time! - proud member Sun, 11 May 2008 20:55:18 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-45830 no denise you miss understood i am not a site rep i was sayin that the site rep did not make sure that we all had the paperwork...i will contact you privatly as this is startin to look really bad the way it is read on here an that is not the case. and happyjack**s you couldnt do what we classified staff memebers do for a couple hours let alone make it your carreer so keep your "happy" comments to yourself - single tusd mom Sun, 11 May 2008 11:14:14 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-45803 Dear Denise and E board I commend you all for the great efforts and dedication you have all put forth. I am proud to be a part of this chapter and stand behind you. Thank you, Margaret Beckelman - margaret beckelman Sat, 10 May 2008 20:58:29 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-45786 THEY DON'T DESERVE HEALTH INSURANCE. - Happy Jack Sat, 10 May 2008 18:31:54 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-45782 The union is lucky to have such dedicated officers. These officers have placed the employees first, above their own personal needs. That is a selfless thing to do. President Cheeseman has made a difference for her employees and has guided the officers and employees with integrity. She has earned the respect of her employees. The insurance committee was a good idea. It takes courage to confront the health care issues that employees face. This problem is out of control everywhere! They are lucky that they can even have families on insurance! I had never heard of an employer who does not charge more money for the employee families. This was a first for me. Most companies only provide insurance for the employee. These officers are trying to do what is good and fair for all of their employees. That isn’t easy. That isn’t popular. There is always going to be some people that are not going to be happy no matter how much you do for them. At least you continue to work for them and try your best. It is noticed. The rest of the employees see your efforts! I applaud you. - Cathy Hill Sat, 10 May 2008 17:49:58 +0100 http://tracypress.com/content/view/14564/2242/#comment-45710 Dear “SayWhat?”: We had one employee who has been working outside her job classification for some time now. She should not only receive partial pay for her work. As an employee she has the same rights as the other classified employees. She deserves to be properly classed and paid accordingly. The negotiations team and district were both in favor of this fair treatment. This is also why the members voted in favor of the TA. It was the right thing to do. School employees in general are grossly underpaid for the essential work they perform. Our classified folks are awesome. It is not an issue of underpaid or over worked. It was a fairness issue of this one employee not being properly classed. It has now been corrected. Thank you. - Denise Cheeseman Sat, 10 May 2008 12:11:59 +0100