Act NOW to suspend HEM surcharges

FROM SEIU LOCAL 503:

I’m excited to report that our representatives on the HEM Labor Management Committee have won the adoption of a recommendation that PEBB suspend all fees associated with the Health Engagement Model. Please sign the petition, which our PEBB representatives will present at the next PEBB meeting on January 17 along with a call to support the HEM Committee’s recommendations.

As you may recall, PEBB adopted the HEM and other plan design changes in the final days of our contract negotiations last year. Our bargaining team won the establishment of a joint labor management committee to evaluate HEM and make recommendations for changes. Our members of this committee –Keary DeBeck (DOJ), Sabrina Freewynn (OHA), Wednesday Martin (DHS), Lois Yoshishige (U of O), Shaun Parkman (Alternate, OHA), and Siobhan Martin (Staff) – have worked with delegates from other unions and management to develop recommendations that PEBB will consider this month and in future meetings.

To be clear, the bargaining team, the HEM committee, our PEBB representatives, and I all believe that the idea behind HEM – health promotion – is a good one. If individuals are empowered with information, provided with incentives, and supported in the workplace, most will choose health and the costs of healthcare will be more sustainable. For a health promotion program to work, we believe it should be incentive-based rather than punitive, provide sufficient assurances around privacy and security of information, and recognize that unhealthy worksites – due to bully bosses or short staffing, for example – are major drivers of health problems.

Please be sure to sign the petition calling on PEBB to suspend the HEM surcharges. Please forward this email to coworkers and ask them to sign too! We will keep you informed on the outcome of the PEBB meeting and on further developments as both PEBB and the HEM Committee evaluate HEM and consider further changes for 2013.

And speaking of health care, please support our homecare members who are fighting efforts by the Governor to take health care insurance from half the members who now have it!

Listen to this ad running on radio stations across the state
http://www.seiu503.org/files/2012/01/R1201x36-RealShame-FINAL.mp3
Then take a moment to call 503-378-4582 and tell Governor Kitzhaber NOT to deprive homecare workers of their health insurance.

In Solidarity,
Heather Conroy, Executive Director