Contra Costa County:

Do The Right Thing!

The problem: Healthcare premiums are unaffordable for Contra Costa County workers. We pay more than any other public workers in the Bay Area, more than double our counterparts in San Francisco, and triple that of city workers in Oakland for family coverage. The County has been unwilling to fix this problem, and with their approval, premium rates will increase as much as 14.74 % in January 2019. On the Kaiser family plan, premium rates will rise to $947 per month unless the County works with us on a real solution.

Who we are: Nine unions representing public workers in Contra Costa County have come together to demand a change. Our Coalition represents a wide range of workers, including social workers, library staff, clerical and administrative workers, public defenders, district attorneys, physicians and dentists, engineers, and technical workers.

Why it matters: Contra Costa County workers are struggling to afford healthcare for ourselves and our families. For most workers, healthcare is the second biggest budget item, forcing us to make hard choices in our daily lives. For some workers, healthcare premiums are approaching half of our paychecks. We have members whose families need government assistance to get by. We have members with sick family members who cannot keep up with the bills. Every family should have access to quality healthcare that we can afford!

The solution: The County needs to pay it’s fair share of healthcare costs, and agree to create a system where there are more competitive, quality heathcare plans available.

The County has the money to meet the union’s last offer: Contra Costa is the 4^th richest county in the 5^th largest economy in the world. Just this last year the County placed $61 Million into unassigned reserves. Additionally, the County is budgeting for anywhere from 1,800 to 2,000 vacant but funded positions annually, approximating $120 Million per year. The Coalition’s last offer would only require an additional $6.6 million over 3 years to come to a deal that will mean real change for workers. If the County is serious about making change that the Coalition can live with, they can certainly do it.