Hudson City Hall is located at 78 Main Street. The Select Board recently approved an agreement to cover personal effects. (Photo/Dakota Antelman)
HUDSON – After months of negotiations by the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association (MIIA), the Hudson Select Board has approved and agreed to sign an agreement to cover personal items related to changes to the design of employee health insurance plans, which will mean savings for the City of Hudson .
On April 24, executive assistant Thomas Gregory said the agreement represented months of work and was “the culmination”. [of] Months of action by the unions here in Hudson.”
The change in sections 21 and 22 of the health insurance plan allows the City of Hudson to negotiate plan design changes with all city and school employees, including retirees.
“We have negotiated a new draft plan that does not go beyond or make the GIC more onerous [Group Insurance Commission] Scale,” said Gregory.
Gregory said the offer would be made through the MIIA so they could introduce out-of-pocket disclosure and deductible increases.
“That has resulted in significant savings,” he said. “At the same time, we were able to reach a 100 percent agreement with all negotiating entities on the split of premium contributions between employer and employee, which, as you know, has been 50:50 for decades.”
To honor the agreement, he would gradually introduce a 65:35 split for the HMO plan and a 5545 split for the PPO.
“It’s a victory for the city. That’s a win for the taxpayer. “It’s a win for the employees here in Hudson,” Gregory said.
Chairman Scott Duplisea said it was great that negotiations had taken a relatively short time and had been successful.
He added: “I’m glad. It is always good when it is beneficial for the city and the employees.”
Gregory attributed the short negotiation time to pre-trial research as “everyone at the table was fully informed”.
The special board approved and considered the signing of the MIIA Health Benefits Trust, the document formalizing the relationship between the city and MIIA. He said Hudson would be included in a larger insurance pool as part of a joint purchasing group.
Other news
In financial news, the Select Board authorized library director Aileen Sanchez-Himes to apply for the 2023-24 Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program.
Tom Desmond, chair of the library’s board of trustees, said: “It’s just the beginning of a long process.”
He said they would “try to get a foot in the door” to start applying for grants.
Duplisea added, “Grants are good.”
The Board also approved the following appointments: Nelia Cardoza as Principal Secretary for the Office of the Surveyor effective April 24, 2023, Jacob Millette as a member of the Conservation Commission as a full voting member for a term ending December 31, 2024, and Joseph Aponte as a member of the Conservation Commission the Hudson Historical District Commission in the role of Broker Commissioner for a term ending December 31, 2024.
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