Several public safety unions—the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York, the Detectives’ Endowment Association, the Sergeants Benevolent Association and the Detective Investigators’ Association—voted against the proposal. The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association abstained, and the rest of the city’s dozens of unions voted in support.
Steve Cassidy, president of the firefighters’ union, said, “New York City Firefighters risk their lives every day and we reject the terms of the healthcare agreement and the proposed wage pattern it has established.”
Mr. de Blasio has long discussed health care savings as a key component of his administration’s labor negotiations, but he first publicly discussed the proposal to save $3.4 billion on Thursday when he announced a preliminary deal with the United Federation of Teachers on a nine-year contract that includes retroactive raises. The leadership of the teachers union agreed to health care savings that would generate more than $1 billion, officials said.
The precise details of the health care measures have been shrouded in secrecy, with some union leaders complaining about a lack of specifics and very few details released publicly.
Under the health-care savings plan, as described by the mayor and city officials, unions would work from a menu of health-care options to achieve a savings target, totaling $3.4 billion in savings. If a union and the city cannot meet on a savings plan, the parties would agree to arbitration to reach an agreement.
City officials have said they weren’t seeking employee contributions to their health care, though one option in a document released by the mayor’s office Friday says union members who make $60,000 would pay 2% of their salary.
On Friday, Mr. de Blasio didn’t provide a direct response when asked if the teachers would have fewer choices when deciding on a doctor. “Because this is all part of a continuing negotiation, I’m going to be broad on purpose,” the mayor said.
The menu of options, he said, “allows each union to work with us to decide what works best for them. The notion here is that nothing is imposed. Everything is cooperative.”