Boardman school board, employees reach pact understanding
By ELISE McKEOWN SKOLNICK
BOARDMAN
The board of education reached an understanding with its classified staff employees union regarding a dispute over the interpretation of language in the labor agreement.
The section, according to the union, allows for a share in fiscal year 2013’s health-insurance cost savings for members of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees Chapter 334.
The school board said OAPSE members would be entitled to cost savings only if the Boardman Local Schools health-insurance committee was successful in reducing base premiums, which it was not.
To resolve the issue, the board will make a one-time payment of $30,891 to be divided among the 153 staff members participating in the district’s medical insurance program as of Feb. 1.
The money comes from savings associated with employee positions that were not filled.
Payment will be made on the first pay date in April.
The board wanted to be “creative” in its efforts to keep health-care costs stable for both its teachers union and OAPSE, said board president John Landers, and that’s why the plan to share cost savings was developed.
“We wanted to make sure that the language was consistent between both [union] contracts, which is why we worked with OAPSE to make that agreement,” Landers said. “We’re pleased with that. We want to make sure we’re treating our unions equally and treating them well.”
As part of the understanding, the board and OAPSE agree no cost savings will be provided to OAPSE for fiscal year 2014 unless the committee is successful in reducing annual base premiums below the fiscal year 2011 levels.