Press-Republican

Local News

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
comments powered by Disqus
October 2, 2008

Firefighter union won't sign HMO change now

By JOE LoTEMPLIO

PLATTSBURGH -- City firefighters say they will sign off on a health-insurance change only if they get raises.

Firefighters notified city leaders this week that they would agree to allow the city to self-fund its health-maintenance organization only if they get raises of 3 percent and an extension of their expired contract for one year.

The firefighters contract expired Dec. 31, 2007. The raises they are seeking would be retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year.

The Fire Department is the only one of the five city unions that has not agreed to the HMO change.

The change will not affect any health benefits but could save the city up to $700,000. Employees hired after 1993 who pay a portion of their health insurance are even likely to see a decrease in premiums.

But firefighters argue that any change in the health plan constitutes a negotiated item in their contract.

"We believe that what we are seeking is right, and we don't believe you just put something into an expired contract," union Vice President Edmund Sanderson said.

He said the 3-percent raise that firefighters are asking for doesn't even cover the cost-of-living increase.

"We hope they (the city) will bargain in good faith and follow the law and that they accept this. This represents the most expedient and helpful way to implement this HMO change."

Union Public Information Officer Mark Gadway said firefighters feel some skepticism about the change in the HMO plan.

"Last time they did this, there were changes, and not everyone was happy."

The firefighters' position has some city leaders shaking their heads.

"I am completely baffled at what they sent me," said Mayor Donald Kasprzak, holding the letter he received from union attorney Thomas Jordan of Albany.

"Every other union signed off on this HMO agreement, which would cost them (firefighters) absolutely nothing and would save the taxpayers thousands of dollars.

"Their request for retroactive raises is completely unacceptable, and it hurts every single taxpayer in the city, as well as their fellow employees."

Kasprzak said the firefighters' raise proposal will be on the agenda for a vote tonight.

Councilor James Calnon (I-Ward 4), a member of the Health Insurance Task Force that came up with the HMO plan, said he will not be supporting the firefighters' request.

"This (HMO change) really is a win-win for the city. It will help the unions and the 36 members of the Fire Department and the 19,000 people who live here.

"It is mystifying to me why we would have to provide further incentive to give them the same coverage at a lower price."

Councilor Chris Jackson (D-Ward 6) called the firefighters response "blackmail."

"This (HMO change) doesn't affect their benefits at all, and it saves the city money," Jackson said. "This is ridiculous."

Sanderson said firefighters stand behind their proposal.

"We are resolved in our belief in what is right and what is fair."

jlotemplio@pressrepublican.com

Info Box

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local News

Recent Article Comments
Albany Round-up

Photo of the Day
Strange News
Videos: Editor Picks
Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine Recording Superstar Whitney Houston Dead at 48 Maine GOP Chairman Says Romney Wins Caucuses Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion' 5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La. Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal $25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines