Brookline, unions agree on health insurance change

The settlement now goes to union meetings, where the accord will be voted by members. Retired firefighter Chet Riley , who negotiates for the town-side unions, said that with luck, that process should be complete by Wednesday.

The Board of Selectmen will take a similar vote on the terms in executive session Tuesday, Kelleher said.

The deadline for municipalities to enroll for July 2010 is Dec. 1 .

Because the final outcome is again in doubt, neither side would go into detail about the content of the settlement. But both have gone on the record saying that the deal the other side rejected last week would have saved the town between $15 million and $16 million over the next three years.

The agreement follows a tumultuous week, including a teachers’ march on Town Hall Monday.

At issue was how much of the premiums employees should shoulder, given that co-pays and other out-of-pocket costs are both higher and non-negotiable under the GIC (under the current system, unions and the town can negotiate the structure of health insurance plans).

Kelliher last week sent reporters spreadsheets and charts to demonstrate how the average family under the GIC would save $2,000 a year over the current Blue Cross premium.

If Brookline can ink a deal, it will join only 17 of the state’s 351 municipalities that have been able to get necessary union approval for the switch.

Andreae Downs can be reached at andreaedowns@yahoo.com.