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December 11, 2005
As of November 2005, 12 public sector groups in Ohio have
received special training via a federal grant. The groups
include ten schools, a city, and a county. The training program
is designed to help public sector labor-management health
care benefits committees become better equipped to navigate
the rough waters of employee health insurance plan design,
administration, and costs.
The Ohio Public Sector Labor Management Health Care Benefits
Committee is offering the training. The statewide committee
launched the initiative after its receipt of a federal grant
that encourages labor management cooperation on the issue
of health care. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
awarded a $75,000 grant in 2004. In addition, the committee
has received $15,000 in donations from other sources. The
committee intends to work with up to 30 public sector groups
that are committed to developing a labor partnership involving
local employers, their employees, and their labor representatives
on the issue of health care.
The grant’s two-day training program helps participants
to learn the ropes of group problem-solving in addition to
health insurance plan design and administration. Also, Ohio
experts teach participants how to structure and maintain effective
local labor-management health care benefits committees. Some
course topics include: Health Care Paradigms; Consensus Decision-Making;
Interest Based Problem-Solving; Risk Management; Insurance
Procurement; Health Care Benefits, Utilization, and Costs;
Committee Structure and Leadership; and Strategic Planning.
Trainers include Dr. James Cowles and Meredith Porterfield
of the Columbus Area Labor Management Committee, Gregg Gascon
of the Ohio Education Association, Van Keating of the Ohio
School Boards Association, and Fred McGraw of the Ohio Association
of Public School Employees, AFSCME.
To be eligible for the free training, local groups must meet
specific grant requirements. All labor organizations representing
employees of the public employer in addition to the public
employer must commit to fully participate in all training,
facilitation, and evaluation sessions sponsored by the grant.
Groups that have set sail under the grant include:
City of Dublin, United Steelworkers of America Local 9110,
Fraternal Order of Police, Capital City Lodge #9, and FOP/OLC,
Inc.;
Clark County Commissioners, Clark County MR/DD, Clark County
Sheriff, United Auto Workers, Professional Guild of Ohio (OFT/AFT),
AFSCME;
Coshocton County MR/DD and Hopewell Education Association;
Greene County Career Center, Greene County Career Center
Education Association (OEA), and Greene County Career Center
Classified Employees Association (OEA);
Bucyrus City Schools, Bucyrus Education Association (OEA),
and Bucyrus Organization of School Support Employees (OEA);
Pymatuning Valley Local Schools, Pymatuning Valley Education
Association (OEA), and OAPSE/AFSCME Local 422;
Western Reserve Local Schools, OAPSE/AFSCME Local 438, and
Western Reserve Education Association (OEA);
Vermillion Local Schools, Vermilion Teachers Association
(OEA), and OAPSE/AFSCME Local 332;
Wadsworth City Schools, Wadsworth Education Association (OEA),
and Wadsworth Support Staff Association (OEA);
Strasburg-Franklin Local Schools, Strasburg-Franklin Local
Schools Employees Association (OFT);
Ashtabula Area City Schools, Ashtabula Area Teachers Association
(OEA), and Ashtabula Association of Classified Employees (OEA);
Madison (Richland) Local Schools and Madison Local Schools
Education Association (OEA).
To date the statewide committee has conducted four training
sessions across Ohio. It plans to provide at least three additional
training sessions in the next two months. The committee also
provides free facilitation to the groups until they can get
their sea legs and chart their own course in the murky waters
of health care. If Ohio’s model proves successful, it
may become a national model for training and facilitating
labor management health care benefits committees. For more
information about the grant program, individuals and groups
are encouraged to contact Dr. James Cowles, Grant Coordinator,
at: jim@calmc.org.
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