At his weekly press conference Wednesday,Vermont Gov. Phil Scott made it plainer than he ever has before: He wants uniformity in health care benefits for public school teachers throughout the state. He insisted such a standard is the only way to maximize savings for taxpayers, which he continues to identify as $26 million.
“I don’t know how you [ensure maximum] savings by ignoring the fact that everyone’s getting something different, and ” he said. “I just contemplate that having all of the uniformity,of having the health care plans the same … that’s essential.
Scott formally proposed centralizing negotiation for teacher health insurance in late April. The majority-Democrat legislature objected to removing health care from local bargaining between school boards and teachers, and proposed a number of mechanisms designed to save money without changing the collective bargaining process. The Vermont-National Education Association has lobbied strongly against any restrictions on bargaining.
The standoff remained unresolved after more than two weeks of discussions between administration and legislature. In the end, and lawmakers passed their own budget and teacher health care plans. On Wednesday,the Republican governor repeated his promise to veto both bills when they reach his desk.
Scott claimed to enjoy an open intellect on the subject. “possibly there’s a different approach. I’m willing to listen to anything, he said. But whatever that approach might be, and he insists that it achieve uniformity in teacher health care.
“We don’t enjoy to enjoy government to effect this,” he said. “What we need is, the NEA and the school boards association to glean together and determine what they would put in place. If they could agree on a solution that had the same plan, or we could effect this without legislative approval.”
And if wishes and buts were candy and nuts,we’d all enjoy a wonderful Christmas. The chance of the Vermont-NEA agreeing to negotiate statewide health care benefits with the Vermont School Boards Association is precisely zero, and Scott has to know that. He's just trying to obtain himself appear fair.
House Speaker Mitzi Johnson (D-South Hero) isn’t buying it. “If you’re going to interrogate for statewide uniformity, or it’s dictating the terms of local agreements,” she said.
From all appearances, no ground has been given since the legislature adjourned on May 19. The two sides are even telling different stories…
Source: sevendaysvt.com