By Len Proctor, Deputy Director Welfare Fund
I would like to remind members how fortunate they are to be public sector employees working for the city of NY and a member of the largest Teamster Local in the country. New York City is unique in how it handles municipal employee benefits. Did you know NYC is one of the last major cities in the US where municipal employees have premium free health insurance? The city pays 100% of the cost of health insurance. Teamsters Local 237 along with the other unions in the city form the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC) which negotiates directly with the city to maintain:
• Zero payroll deductions
• Comprehensive coverage for benefits
• Welfare Fund Supplemental benefits
This is not the norm elsewhere. Outside NYC including NY State employees, the landscape is very different.
• State employees pay a significant share of their health insurance premiums, around 28-30%
• State employees rely on 401K style retirement plan unless they are in a special category
• They do not receive the same union-negotiated welfare-fund supplemental benefits that NYC workers have.
NYC 's union structure covers at least 750,000 + covered lives in the NYCPPO alone to negotiate pricing and maintain premium-free coverage. Other municipalities simply don't have that:
• The same size
• The same welfare fund system
• The same bargaining leverage
Also, NYC is one of the few Municipalities that still offer a Defined Pension Plan. NYCERS, who handles pensions for city workers, is the largest municipal public employee retirement system in the country. A defined pension plan is guaranteed by law and based on years of service, age and salary, not market conditions. Most municipalities across the US and even in NY State have shifted toward defined contribution plans, 401k style plans where employees bear the investment risk and retirement income is not guaranteed.
I raise these points to get members to understand they need to protect their pension and protect their jobs.
Your pension is your future - your union protections today ensure you'll have a guaranteed income for life and not a risky 401k plan that fluctuates with the stock market.
Your benefits are a major part of your salary - Welfare Fund benefits add thousands of dollars in value every year. These benefits are part of your compensation, and losing them would be the same as a pay cut.
The MLC has worked for decades to secure comprehensive supplemental benefits that most public employees in other states don't receive. These benefits exist because of union negotiations.
Protecting your job today protects your pension tomorrow - Every year you work builds service credit toward your pension. Staying union strong ensures you keep the benefits, protections, and retirement security that make NYC municipal employment one of the best packages in the country.
Our members have something special, something worth defending. Stay strong, stay united, and let's keep these benefits secure for every member and every family.
