Features

NLRB Sets BOSS Hearing

By MATTHEW ARTZ
Friday October 03, 2003

The National Labor Relations Board announced it will hold a January hearing to determine if Berkeley-based non-profit Building Opportunities for Self-sufficiency (BOSS) violated labor laws when it imposed higher health care costs on their unionized work force. 

The California Professional Employees Union, Local 2345 filed an unfair labor practices complaint with the NLRB in July, charging that BOSS illegally increased charges workers pay for health care after the labor contract expired. Should the NLRB rule in favor of the union after a January hearing, BOSS would have to restore benefits to their previous level. 

When the union’s three-year contract ended in July, BOSS, claiming financial hardship, changed health plans, raising employee doctor’s visit copayments from $0 to $15 and prescription drug copayments from $5 to $10. 

“The percentage increase over the previous plan is astronomical,” said union spokesperson Chris Graeber. 

BOSS Executive Director boona cheema said she had alerted the union that health costs would rise and that decreases in funding would force BOSS to tighten its belt. 

Graeber said the union rank-and-file would consider the latest BOSS contract proposal next week, but that union leadership had recommended rejecting the offer, which he said offered no pay raise. The previous labor contract that expired in July granted workers three percent annual raises over three years. 

cheema warned a ruling in favor of the union could have drastic repercussions for the nonprofit. “I’ll have to shut down many of the programs and lay off many people,” she said.