Public service workers call on Governor Rell to sign bill passed by General Assembly that reduces overall insurance costs, offsets rising property taxes

HARTFORD—Last night's vote by the State Senate to pass healthcare "pooling" legislation is being hailed by Connecticut public service workers who have advocated for the concept since 1991. With the ballooning state budget deficit and looming local property tax increases as a backdrop, members of CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 urge Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell to sign the bill into law when it reaches her desk.

The Connecticut Healthcare Partnership, which the General Assembly's House chamber had passed last week, will empower municipalities, boards of education, small businesses, and non-profits to "pool" their employees in the State healthcare plan. Once signed into law, the legislation will enable Connecticut to join the ranks of twenty-four other states that have reduced skyrocketing administrative costs while expanding insurance coverage by "pooling" their public service workers.

"Finally passing the 'pooling' bill shows that our lawmakers truly do care about the healthcare burden on Connecticut's towns, school districts, and small businesses" Michael O'Brien, President of CSEA/SEIU Local 2001, observed this morning. "Just last week, Governor Rell said the declining State budget means more difficult days lie ahead. She should act by signing this bill into law immediately" O'Brien, an engineer with the State's Department of Environmental Protection, continued. "That would send a strong message that she is committed to help cash-strapped municipalities avoid cutting public services and raising local property taxes."

"I am a mother of four, I cannot afford to buy my employer's health insurance" said Rose Ann Martin, a school bus driver who works for First Student, the student transportation contractor for Shelton Public Schools. In a letter she wrote to her Senator last month urging support for the bill, she said "I think that the state should make it easier for Connecticut workers to purchase affordable health care," speaking for the thousands of working families who are unable to afford the high cost of employer-provided medical insurance.

The legislation is the product of years of advocacy by members of public service workers' unions and recent efforts to build a coalition that includes non-profit service providers, municipal elected officials, and small business owners. CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 has lead the way in demonstrating that "pooling" can reduce rising insurance costs by increasing the number of insured lives in Connecticut to as many as 600,000.

CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 represents 25,000 active and retired public sector workers serving in state and municipal agencies, as well as local school boards across Connecticut. The union's membership also includes workers with non-profit organizations and private companies contracted to provide public services through state, and local government agencies. Visit www.seiu2001.org online for more information on the working families' issues its members have been advocating at the State Capitol.