TODAY: Your health benefits are at stake!

Tim and Kraig are heading to Olympia to fight for you…they need YOUR help! 

• Act NOW to Protect Your Health Benefits…or Pay MORE for LESS Later. 

• The Legislature is Discussing Health Benefits TODAY. WE NEED YOUR HELP! 

Dear Colleague,

We are not going to remain silent while misguided Legislators force educators to pay more each month for worse medical benefits—and take away our voice. Neither should you. TODAY is the Public Hearing on the proposed legislation to eliminate our collective bargaining rights on our health care benefits, and to force all K-12 employees into a lesser plan. WE ARE GOING TO OLYMPIA RIGHT NOW TO TESTIFY AGAINST THIS AND NEED YOUR HELP—TODAY. 

If passed, this bill (SB 6442) would result in most Northshore employees paying much more each month, for lesser benefits. It would provide the State with no cost savings, but would require millions more in employee contributions, according to a recent study by the State’s Health Care Authority.

The main thing is this: Right now, we have a “say” in our benefits. This bill would take it away, and force all K-12 employees into one plan (not yet created) designed to shift costs to us. (If you want more details, and a link to more information, read below our signatures.)

TODAY:
Please contact your legislators and urge them to “VOTE NO ON SB 6442. DON’T ELIMINATE OUR RIGHT TO NEGOTIATE OUR HEALTH BENEFITS.” 

HERE’S HOW: 
• During lunch today (unpaid time) or after work, call the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000 from your CELL or HOME phone. The Hotline is a message service. They will ask you where you live, and tell you who your Legislators are. Then they will ask, “What is your message” They will answer until 8 PM. Please leave a message for ALL 3 of your Legislators. Simple message, above. They will not ask you any details, or argue. Nothing to fear! Have a “cell phone” party with colleagues at lunch today to flood the hotline with calls!

• From your HOME computer, go to www.OurVoiceWashingtonEA.org, and it will help you compose your email. And it will identify your 3 Legislators.

The Legislature will not be voting on the Bill today. But they are forming their opinions now. We suggest that you send an email about this every week—again and again—until they vote on it. We will let you know when that happens. Please don’t wait until it’s too late.

Tim Brittell, NSEA/Cascade Council President (tbrittell@washingtonea.org)
Kraig Peck, WEA Staffperson for Cascade Council (kpeck@washingtonea.org)

More info:
Here in Northshore, we have cut out most of the insurance company profits. Instead, our benefits are self-insured by the District. The insurance companies mainly administer the paperwork for plans that are designed by the Northshore Insurance Benefits Committee---a collaboration of all of the Northshore unions and the administration. Our Committee annually reviews usage and preferences, and designs the best possible plans. We locally decide pricing, services covered, providers that are covered, and more. It is very far from perfect (using limited funds), but the result is better benefits than generally available elsewhere for an equivalent amount of money.

Here is a link to more info, researched by the WEA staff: http://www.ourvoicewashingtonea.org/HCA%20Takeover%20Fact%20Sheet,%20revised.pdf