Retired Greenfield Firefighters Not Happy With Union Vote on Voluntary Contributions

Greenfield firefighters refusal to accept a deal on health insurance may cost retired city firefighters tens of thousands of dollars. 

That's the alarm some retirees are sounding as a new firefighter contract heads for approval this week. 

At issue is the decision by firefighters who belong to Greenfield Local 1963 .

As many as three retired firefighters voiced retirees' concerns at last Wednesday’s Finance and Human Resources Committee meeting at City Hall. They came forward after word began to circulate that the fire union voted against the contributions and in essence for a new, non-negotiable Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield health care plan offered by the city.

Here's why the new contract is important to retirees: Ben Granberg, the city’s human resources manager, said the union’s contract with the city applies to both current and retired members. Whatever active firefighters receive in terms of health plans and coverage applies to retirees. The changes in plans will affect 25-40 families of retirees, according to the meeting minutes.

Union Vice President Garret Cieczka said the union voted to reject the offer because members could not take the other health plan the rest of the city has without also paying into their pensions. Firefighters now pay nothing into their retirement accounts. Retirees don't have to worry about contributing to pensions or lack of pay raises, Cieczka said. 

The contracts are expected to be approved today and signed .

The financial impact on retirees could be staggering. According to the meeting’s minutes, Gregg Gollner said the insurance change could cost him more than $40,000 a year, if rumors he has heard are correct. David Wenzel, another retired firefighter, spoke on how these changes were not something the retirees had accounted for.

John Nehm, a retired firefighter, said he lobbied for hours with union president Reed Matilla to get the union to vote for the voluntary contributions. He said he still wasn’t sure what the new insurance plan would cost him, and added many retirees weren’t even aware of what was going on.

Mayor Michael Neitzke told retirees in attendance current police and fire union leadership was made aware of how the vote would impact both past and present members and said the police union “overwhelmingly supported it.”

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