A coalition of public service unions in Brockton, including SEIU Local 888, has reached an agreement that will ultimately save the city an estimated $28 million in employee and retiree health insurance costs. The agreement preserves the right of service workers in Brockton to negotiate over their benefits while generating significant savings that will be split between the city and its health plan subscribers.

Until recently, every public employee union in Brockton negotiated over health insurance benefits individually, either with the City or the School Committee. Last summer, local unions, including Local 888, which represents city department heads, library personnel, school cafeteria workers and administrative personnel, began working together in an effort to find a solution to soaring city health insurance costs.

“By agreeing to uphold the right of unions to bargain over health insurance, the city council put their differences aside and the unions proved that a lot can be accomplished when people sit down and work through problems like this together.”

“By coalition bargaining with employees from different unions and retirees as equal partners, Brockton has demonstrated historic leadership for the people who provide services in that city and showing that unions will work to protect the health care of their members,” said Brenda Rodrigues, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 888. “By agreeing to uphold the right of unions to bargain over health insurance, the city council put their differences aside and the unions proved that a lot can be accomplished when people sit down and work through problems like this together.”

If you are interested in forming a coalition of unions in your city or town, contact Jen Springer at jspringer@seiu888.org