Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Benefits Access topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Association seeks to bar non-dues-paying officers from union benefit access codes
Summary
The association proposed contract language making officers who don't pay dues ineligible to use certain supplemental insurance and benefit access codes; negotiators discussed payroll errors, automatic employer benefits, and how to operationally enforce access restrictions.
At the bargaining session in Laredo, association representatives proposed language that would restrict access to union-provided benefit access codes (for supplemental insurance and similar products) to officers who pay dues.
The association argued some officers had stopped paying dues but still used access codes and supplemental products, and that payroll or system errors had allowed that to occur. "They'll use the access code, the union access codes, and then stop paying dues," an association representative said, describing the practice as unfair to dues-paying members.
City negotiators noted that core employer-provided benefits such as dental and vision are automatic under the contract and would not be affected, and they asked how access restrictions would be enforced in payroll systems. The association said some benefits are offered outside the city broker and that those supplemental products are tied to union membership and payroll deduction processes.
Participants discussed potential fixes including clearer payroll drop procedures and contract language to make nonmembers ineligible for union-only supplemental products. There was no agreement reached and parties said they would consult payroll and legal staff before returning to the language.
