Negotiation News: CSEA – We work for YOU!

Your CSEA Monroe County Negotiation Team is continuing to tenaciously fight for a fair contract for all Monroe County Employees. The CSEA Negotiation Team met with the County on June 2, 2010 and will return to the bargaining table on July 27, 2010, in yet another attempt to reach a settlement in these negotiations. The Union has zealously guarded employees’ benefits including Health Insurance.

The negotiations which started in 2008 have been difficult to say the least; the County’s position has been to shift a significant portion of the cost of Health Insurance to the employee. With the state of the economy and the situation with health care in this nation, the union has approached the negotiations realistically. With that being said, the Union’s mission is to get a fair pay increase as well as protect quality benefits. With those goals in mind, the union has consistently pushed proposals that would assist the county with the ever increasing cost of Health Insurance while protecting quality benefits for our members.

CSEA knows that the County feels it is acting in the taxpayers’ best interest. The Union would like the County to always remember that County Employees are taxpayers as well as public employees. We are taxpayers with a long history of providing quality service to our neighbors in Monroe County in a cost effective manner. It is time for the County to acknowledge that the Union has been a reasonable partner throughout the negotiation process and that everyone needs to compromise if we are to reach an agreement. The County can’t come into the negotiations with an “our way or the highway” attitude and realistically believe an agreement can be reached.`         

Since the last negotiation date with the county, your negotiation team has done its due-diligence on the open issues. Specifically, we have met with Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield Representatives as well as with the Health Care consulting firm Brown and Brown. Your CSEA Negotiating Team will continue an approach toward the County that is FIRM but FAIR as we proceed with these negotiations.

We will continue to post updates on negotiations on this blog as we proceed. Please see the past post (QA on Negotiations) for more information.  You are welcome, and encouraged, to submit your questions and comments to the union at unit7400@rochester.rr.com . Please check out the unit calendar (frequently updated) to see what is going on with your union (click here).   Keep the faith, keep supporting your CSEA Negotiation Team and we will reach a fair agreement with the County of Monroe.