By Sara Quam
Almost 200 state workers in the immediate area are prepared to strike Sept. 17 if negotiators fail to agree on a new contract by Sept. 16.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees announced Saturday that its members voted to authorize the strike, and a second union, Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, announced the same decision Tuesday.
Rock County would see strikes at the Minnesota Veterans Home, state park and Department of Transportation, for example.
Local AFSCME president David Meyer said, "It's something we have to do to get what we want."
The union now has to prepare for a strike - setting up headquarters and forming specific committees - and the state has to come up with a contingency plan.
Gov. Jesse Ventura ordered the Minnesota National Guard in August to begin preparing for a potential strike by state employees in September. The order calls for Guard personnel to be trained to care for "vulnerable citizens," which would include residents at the Vets Home.
Locally, the Vets Home is sending a letter to all residents and staff as an update to the strike possibility and to assure residents that care will still be a priority.
The points of contention between the two sides are insurance costs and wages, but Meyer said the insurance proposal hits most the hardest.
State health insurance premiums have increased 20 percent in each of the last two years, and the state anticipates about 10 percent next year.
The state proposed a new plan to control costs. It would reduce employee premiums but require workers to share the costs of services. Now it requires employees to make only co-payments for some services and doesn't impose a deductible.
Under the proposal, employees would take on more of the costs through higher co-payments and deductibles for those who use the services.
A co-payment is an amount the employee pays for each service provided. A deductible is the amount the employee pays before insurance will pay for services. Co-insurance is the percentage the employee pays after the deductible is paid.
More employee co-payments that charge those using medical services is what the state is pushing for in exchange for low premiums.
But the unions don't buy that. They don't want sick people to put off treatment to save money. The maximum out of pocket expenses would rise to $1,900 for individuals and $3,800 for families.
The union says that will cause lower paid workers to spend as much as 25 percent of their take-home pay on insurance costs.
As for wages, the state and unions are far apart on that, too. The state has offered increases of 2.5 percent for two years while AFSCME wants 6.5-percent annual pay raises.