I know that we all know the sad situation involving our half-time, career level co-workers.
They each are having their health insurance premiums raised 5 fold!
Why should you and I be concerned?
First and foremost is simply the humanitarian factor: Many good people who work alongside us will be, in effect, be receiving drastic pay cuts! Their health insurance premiums, which we all need very much, are being increased exponentially.
Secondly, think about it in terms of your own self interests: If this is happening now to them it sets a bad precedent for the rest of us (full time) employees in the future.
What can we do about it? Truthfully there is just one thing that comes to my mind to try to do now--I hope that every A.A.C.P.L. staff member contacts a member of the Library Board of Trustees and asks that person to try to find ways to reduce the premium increase for our half-time staff.
I agree that they ought NOT to pay the same as a full time worker for health insurance, but 2 times that amount for each 1/2 time person would be fair, not the 5 times that is to be implemented.
The money needed from somewhere in the library's budget comes to about $200,000.
Perhaps fines could be raised again or some other fee imposed.
Perhaps we ought to be closed on the 3 federal holidays that we are currently still open--President's Day, Columbus Day and Veteran's Day. Aside from the ridiculous fact that we close (rightfully) on Martin Luther King's Birthday but stay open on President's Day; are closed on Memorial Day but stay open on Veteran's Day; and are closed for an arbitrary day in October for our General Staff Meeting but are open on Columbus Day; closing each of those three days would save money for each of the Personal Leave days given back as compensation by the staff and also by not having 3 more days for p.t.h. staff to have to be hired. Not to mention the money saved on not using utilities in every branch each of those days. And also putting us back into alingnment with every other governement agency (county, state, federal) and public library in Maryland.
I know that other staff may have other, non-impactful ideas that could cover the amount of money needed as noted above.
I hope that each one of us speaks up softly to our Board members.
They are reasonable people and will listen.
Thank you,
Marc