So have you heard the news? The mayor has declared he will pay all city employees portion of their health insurance for the month of December amounting to over 100k. Not him personally but courtesy of the taxpayers. While this is a very nice gesture on his part does anyone else find it odd that this comes less than a month after the failed override? Didn't he say the city would be in financial trouble because of it? Is he trying to buy the love of his employees?

There's nothing "nice" about this, as the previous poster correctly implied. This points to the fraudulent financial practices of this administration. What about that "structural deficit" and all that financial whining (posturing as RD's tough talk) after the override defeat? What about "holding accountable" those who supposedly didn't offer any solutions (not that RD or his MEF cabal would have listened) but opposed his ballot measure? This guy and his financial "manager" are charlatans and frauds. Maybe this gesture will buy back some good will from those foolish enough to go for such nonsense, but whatever benefit reaped (at taxpayer expense) will be far offset by the grotesque mismanagement of the water/sewer rates, which we are all on the hook for.

What about employees who are on their spouses insurance? They don't get a "bonus"?

RD is only going for the Big Gesture, and doesn't much care whether it's a real benefit or not, or whether there are many of his employees who won't reap anything at all. It's just PR, which means he knows he's got a lot of fence-mending to do, or he is in more trouble than we know about and wants to buy favor where it's no skin off his back.

And you heard this where?

From: Long, Marianne
Date: Mon, Nov 30, 2015 at 9:47 AM
Subject: Health Insurance Premium Holiday
To: City Hall

Mayor Dolan is giving employees a “health insurance premium” holiday during the month of December by paying 1/12th of your annual health insurance cost. This translates to the City paying an additional $114,000 for health insurance on the December invoice.


How does it benefit you?


52 week employees: 4 checks with no deduction

1 check with a partial deduction



21 week employees: 1 check with no deduction

1 check with a partial deduction



42 week employees: 3 checks with no deduction

1 check with a partial deduction

1 check with the full deduction



26 week employees: 2 checks with no deduction

1 check with a partial deduction (1/7/16 check)


See how the City’s monthly contribution towards your health insurance significantly increases the value of your compensation package

Please take a moment to help us improve your experience with City services. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MelroseCustomerSurvey ­­

Thank you. I see that it appears to be addressed only to city hall employees. Can that be right? If so it's a great way to start a revolt. Unbelievable.

Even if that's a "misstatement", I don't see retirees being given the same bribe (Oops - Bonus.)

I have never in my life seen such a blatantly transparent attempt to buy favor on the taxpayers dime.

The only good thing here is that they continue to expose themselves for what they really are.

Our Mayor is politically astute - how better to keep them quiet and obedient?

It worked well when he gave some of the aldermen GIC insurance benefits and it even worked better when he helped negotiate a substantial pay raise for the teachers.

How does the saying go - "Power corrupts - absolute power corrupts absolutely!"

So an override was needed to save our school children & whatever the else but there is money in the city budget to pay extra for employee health insurance, VOLUNTARILY, without the override ????

This information needs to get out. Beyond here.

To all the city hall employees that tried to ram the necessity of the override relentlessly down people's throats, you should decline this offer if you were sincere in what you were saying a month ago.

If you're on your spouses insurance, declining doesn't count.

You know who you are devoted city hall employees. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Deeply ashamed.

Withhold your real estate taxes and send a message. It will take years before they catch up to you.

Any day I expect the Mayor to host a Chhristmas Party for employees and do a male Sally Field and gush,
"You like me. You really like me."

Anybody have any answer as to where the money is coming from?
It would have been cheaper and more fair for all employees to just give everyone $100 bonus. No?

Ever hear the words,"Slush Funds"? They are hidden inside the annual budget categories. It takes some digging to find them, but they are there. The Mayor is upset now that the override didn't succeed because now he has to dig into them to manage his his political favors and handouts.

Or it could be that they budgeted for a certain amount of $ for health insurance, and for some reason (like not as many people signed up for the plans as originally expected) there is extra money in the budget, so they are giving the employees a perk. I think it is a great gesture and I support it. I hope that all of the employees that serve my family in this city (especially the teachers and school staff) are made just a little bit happier during the holiday season from this generosity. Happy holidays to you all.

The City Solicitor got back to me with an explanation from Marianne Long:


Good afternoon Ms. Wright-

This is in response to an email from you which was received earlier today. The information set forth below from Human Resources Director Marianne Long should answer your specific questions.

Thanks.


From: Long, Marianne
Sent: Monday, November 30, 2015 9:48 AM
To: City Hall; Fire Department; Police Department; David Lucas (dlucas@LucasLawGroupLLC.com); Rebecca Mooney (rmooney@maav.org); dkeohane@melroseschools.com
Subject: Health Insurance Premium Holiday

Mayor Dolan is giving employees a “health insurance premium” holiday during the month of December by paying 1/12th of your annual health insurance cost. This translates to the City paying an additional $114,000 for health insurance on the December invoice.



If this "Premium Holiday" was negotiated by the union as part of their contract then it's not "Mayor Dolan giving employees a health insurance premium holiday". The union contracted for this. Why does Dolan always have to take credit needlessly??? Couldn't Marianne have said something like...."This is a one time bonus as negotiated by your union...Happy Holidays!"

Here's Marianne Long's response to the BOA today:

"As you are aware, a request for information was recently received from Patricia Wright concerning a holiday premium being provided to all full-time employees of the City of Melrose.

Ms. Wright is referring to a matter negotiated with the Public Employee Committee (Union representatives) which culminated in a new 6 year G.I.C. agreement with an effective date of July 1, 2015. This premium holiday occurred one time this December, 2015 and will not occur for the remainder of the parties’ multi-year agreement. As part of this negotiated agreement, the PEC accepted a 3% increase in their premium split. This 3% increase resulted in an approximate first year savings of $345,000. This savings, as well as the modest cost of the agreed upon premium holiday, are reflected in the health insurance budget approved by the Board during the FY16 budget process."

And why is MAVV's Director Rebecca Mooney (Melrose Alliance Against Violence) getting this notification? Is she on the city payroll? I thought she ran the non profit? There are always more questions than answers!

So if this was a contract negotiation that was expected, why does the letter start with "Mayor Dolan is giving..." instead of "As negotiated during contractual talks.."? Also there were some employees who were surprised by the whole thing.

So why are retirees not included? They were part of the committee that negotiated the GIC agreement, were they not?

Because he got his head handed to him on his stupid override, and now he's scrambling for anything to make himself look less foolish. Unfortunately for him, all he's (via Marianne Long) done here is to make himself look even more dishonest and more foolish. This guy has a real character flaw issue.

Say What made a good point - why no inclusion of retirees? My understanding is that they are part of the committee that agreed to the GIC deal. Maybe there's an explanation that makes sense - perhaps they weren't affected by the 3% premium split change - but I'd like to hear it. I ask because most city retirees are going to whacked by Medicare with a significant increase since they do not have their premiums deducted from a SS check. Most of them don't get SS checks, so they are what's called "direct payers", and they're going to picking up the tab for those whose premiums are deducted directly. Most of them were forced onto Medicare and off city plans because there is a state law to that effect. If you are eligible for Medicare in any form - say, a spouse - you have to switch to Medicare, then buy a GIC supplemental plan, which doubles the cost.

City employees will be paying a 3 percent increase....They're getting one month payed because of negotiations...? So in reality the employees are getting screwed... The city is saving money and people are up in arms... Mostly everyone here bad mouths any city employees.... "My tax dollars.. My tax dollars" that's all you ever hear on this anti melrose blog... What about the tax dollars we're all spending on the people who don't pay a dime? who in fact have much better insurance coverage then all of us and city employees.. And have no co pays or anything. I am very thankful for our city employees while everyone else is so critical.. Mrs Pat Wright I am sure you would be coverd for a psych exam... You take misery to the next level, Scrooge.

Hey....Wow...try going out in the dreaded private sector and get the benefits city employees get with their health insurance - even with the 3% increase. The Mayor "made his own bed" when he gave some aldermen GIC insurance coverage and not others in a similar positions. Now, again, he selects another group of employees for a special hand-out - and then he cries "poor mouth" after losing the override - go figure!

Christ on a crutch. I read every single post in this string on this message board and didn't see one single thing critical of city employees. The point is that the Mayor tried to take credit for it in that stupid memo from Ms. Long. Exactly what part of that escapes you?

For Dolan to make it sound like he is giving it to the employees just shows how arrogant the guy really is. He makes them take a shltty health care plan then raises the share they have to pay and then makes it soundi like he is doing this great thing for them. Reminds me of the arrogant guy running the country (into the ground).

Great analogy - our Mayor and our President - both delusional. Who would have thought that by fighting climate change - we would be defeating the terrorists! And we all think we have serious problems locally?

Exactly. The e-mail from the HR person states, not implies but says outright, that this healthcare holiday comes from Mayor Dolan.

Solely due to the inquiry by Ms Wright does the contract negotiation provision come to light.

I have not read anything to suggest that people felt that the city workers shouldn't get a health insurance premium holiday. Either from the mayor as he claimed it was originally or from the contract negotiations that it's really from.

Some people were just surprised that not a month ago the city needed a permanent tax override & this month there was money in the budget for this expenditure. Which makes sense even if you supported the override.

If the HR person had said "due to our new contract ..." no questions would have been needed.

Now I'm wondering why the MAAV person Mooney is a city employee. Again I see a conflict of interest in a city entity that prevents it from being effective. Much like the mayor sitting pretty on the SC. [:-|]

MFD, it must be nice to have a memory that only goes back 7 years!

Willie - I could go back 50 years but then what has that got to do with the present situation?

Funny I know some city employees who were not aware of this negotiation.

shuttttttt upppppp. Save your BS for a thread that cares. You obviously work for City Hall. And you're telling me this is fair? Police, Fire, and DPW get told to pound sand but city hall staff, who only work 4 1/2 days a week and are overpaid, get this perk too!? WOW.