Bargaining and Legislative Updates: MSCA

From: "Isaacson, Arline" aisaacson@massteacher.org
Friday, May 2, 2008

1) 85/15 – We Won!!!

Minutes ago the House passed an amendment which contained a provision deleting the proposed increases in health insurance premiums for state employees. Rep. Marty Walsh’s amendment to delete the increases was incorporated into a larger ‘consolidated’ amendment containing many other provisions. The consolidated amendment passed on a unanimous vote.

Thank you to all MTA higher ed leaders for encouraging your members to contact legislators on this important matter. Those contacts made a huge difference. Our members have just been saved from a major increase in costs for their health insurance coverage. Congratulations and thank you to everyone involved in this effort!

2) Retiree COLA

MTA sponsored an amendment to increase the base upon which the annual retiree COLA is calculated for teachers and state employees. The amendment increased the base from the current $12,000 to $16,000. Filed by Rep. Frank Hynes, this amendment also passed this evening.

3) Scholarships

Rep. Kevin Murphy’s amendment to increase scholarship money was included in a consolidated amendment on education. The consolidated amendment increased financial aid by $2.5 million.

4) Classification

Rep. Alice Wolf’s amendment to fund a study for a reclassification of state employee jobs did not pass.

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5/5/08