Contra Costa County workers mounted a protest at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Tues., Sept. 18, 2018. Photo by Daniel Borsuk.
By Daniel Borsuk
A number of Contra Costa County workers turned out at last week’s Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors meeting to demand that they instruct County Administrator David Twa to negotiate with nine labor unions representing county employees to produce more affordable healthcare coverage.
County workers said they pay more than any other public workers in the nine county Bay Area. They pay more than double than their county counterparts in San Francisco and triple that of city workers in Oakland for family coverage. Premium rates are set to rise as much as 14.74 percent in January 2019 unless the unions and county strike a better deal.
In acknowledging the county will begin negotiations with the unions starting Wednesday, Sept. 19, Supervisor John Gioia of Richmond said, “We know health care costs are high and this is why these upcoming negotiations with the nine unions will resolve this issue.”
One major reason why Contra Costa County workers pay some of the highest health care costs in the region is because the county offers more plans than other counties and cities.
“One major reason why Contra Costa County workers pay some of the highest health care costs in the region is because the county offers more plans than other counties and cities.”
That is untrue. Many counties offer multiple health plans. Contra Costa is horrible to work for, that is why so many staff leave. Alameda county offers its managers/supervisors 3,000 a year as a cafeteria benefit. These are staff level managers, not super high levels. In the end, they pay almost nothing for health insurance. And they offer 3 health plans. Contra Costa is known to be the cheapest and worst government employer in the Bay. Contra Costa also has employee pay 100% into their retirement. Low wages, high insurance premiums, forced to pay into retirement, why would anyone work there? The benefit are not true benefits at all!
This is January 2019 I just got my check and I’m paying Almost $600 a month for health care I work in regional medical center why are the nurses health care Lord and ours and they have the same exact way same family plan this seems to me is very discriminatory how could they make the people who are lower paid paid a majority while the rest pay hardly nothing this is very wrong I don’t know how the border supervisors to set up there and think this is fair this is not fair at all this is told me ripping us off soon as we get a raise our raise goes towards healthcare and what the high rents in the Bay area then not even taking that into consideration something truly needs to be done about this can keep Trying to pay this high cost of health care is totally ridiculous