Local 580 News

This is an important news item for all Teamsters Local 580 members.

House Bill 5772 was introduced in the State House late in February 2008. This bill is a direct attack on Public Sector Employees health care benefits. It would mandate a cap on every Public Sector Employer to only allow for the payment of 75% of the premium costs for health care. Workers would be responsible to pay the remaining 25% out of their pockets. That would amount to over $2500.00 per year for the average unionized worker.

House Bill 5772 would also restrict your Collective Bargaining Rights as it proposes to strip the power from your Union contract by mandating that you pay at least 25% of your health care premium. This would change over forty years of precedent set by Michigan Labor Law.

The Bill is currently in the committee of Government Operations in the Michigan House of Representatives. It is more anti-worker legislation sponsored by several Republican House Members.

Please e-mail the sample letter found below, or a similar letter, expressing your objection to this anti-Public Sector Employee Legislation, to your State House Representative and State Senator. The Teamster DRIVE office has been monitoring this bill. Your letters will help stop it now and should be sent immediately if possible.

Here is a sample letter:

Dear Representative (your rep.),

I am writing this letter to express my opposition to House Bill #5772 now being considered by the Michigan House of Representatives. This legislation will punish Public Sector Workers who have already been hurt by the State budget cut backs. Our wages have not kept up with the rising cost of living over the past years as we have contributed from our wages toward the rising costs of health care. The threat it poses to collectively bargain rights over these issues is unacceptable and will be bad for Michigan workers and employers. I strongly urge you to oppose this legislation and would like you to respond to this correspondence.

Sincerely,

(your Name)

State Representatives E-mail addresses are:

Speaker of the House: andydillon@house.mi.gov