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Unions urge Camden County to pause changes to employee health coverage; county staff say details will follow board approval
Summary
Union leaders asked the board to delay implementation of changes to county employee health benefits and to share carrier details with bargaining units; county staff said carriers will provide coverage "similar to, or better than" current plans and that approval is needed this month to effect changes.
Union leaders asked the Camden County Board of Commissioners to delay action on proposed changes to county employee health coverage so county negotiators and union representatives could finish discussions.
"We are all for coming out of state health benefits, so please don't confuse this for us not wanting to do this," said Jaren Steiner, a commenter who identified himself during public comment and asked the board to consider tabling the item until the county and union could meet on carrier selection and plan details.
Steven Johnson, president of CWA Local 1084, told commissioners his members at the Board of Social Services are negotiating a contract and are struggling with cost-of-living pressures. "We need a fair contract. The reason we need a fair contract is not just because we're we want more money. It's because we need the money. My members are struggling to live everyday life," Johnson said.
County staff responded that the carriers named in recent procurement efforts have not yet been finalized but that, contractually, any carrier selected must provide coverage that is "similar to, or better than" the coverage currently in place. A staff member identified only as Jim said: "The carriers aren't being named yet only because it hasn't been approved yet by the board... contractually, we are obligated to provide coverage that is similar to or, you know, substantially similar to the coverages that are, you know, provided now... We understand our obligation to our employees and our contractual obligations to our labor agreements, and we are following that."
When asked whether the county would share full plan documentation with union representatives, the staff member said those materials would be provided after the commissioners approve changes to the TPA, pharmacy benefits manager and the Medicare Advantage carrier.
Board members acknowledged the unions' concerns but said some actions must happen this month for an operational transition to be effective. The relevant resolution or resolutions addressing health benefits were among the package of items the board moved to approve in a block vote later in the meeting; the block vote (resolutions 1'63) carried with several recorded abstentions.
Why it matters: County decisions about third-party administrators, carriers and pharmacy benefit managers affect plan design, provider networks and the timing of coverage transfers; unions said they want more time and direct information before the board finalizes decisions.
What the board said it would do next: County staff committed to sharing carrier names and documentation after board approval and to providing contract documentation that stipulates coverage will mirror current plans.
Public commenters and union representatives who addressed the board during the meeting included Jaren Steiner (public commenter), Steven Johnson (CWA Local 1084 president), Kimberly Poole (Board of Social Services employee and bargaining committee member) and Tammy Carr (CWA vice president).
