In a recent amendment to the fiscal year 2017 budget, the state Senate unanimously approved a measure extending the municipal retiree insurance premium moratorium for two more years, to July 1, 2018. Specifically, the moratorium prevents municipalities who utilize §21-22 of the 2011 health insurance reform statute from increasing premium contribution percentage rates for retirees. [...]
The Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that a municipality cannot require an employee to work for it a minimum number of years prior to retirement as a condition of that municipality contributing toward the cost of the employee’s retiree health insurance. As long as the employee is eligible for retirement benefits under c. 32, the [...]
It has been four years since the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board ("CERB") took the view that municipal employers have a duty to bargain health insurance contribution rates of certain retirees, i.e. current employees who will retire in the future. Under CERB’s logic, an employer could unilaterally alter the health insurance contribution rate of persons already [...]
On June 2, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) decided in Twomey et al v. Town of Middleborough that the Board of Selectmen and not a vote of Town Meeting, determine how much a retiree must contribute toward the premium cost of an HMO insurance plan.