Bridgeport may cut police health costs to recruit, keep officers – CTPost

BRIDGEPORT — A prominent city official said Mayor Joe Ganim’s administration is open to negotiating cheaper health care benefits for police during ongoing contract talks.

The comments, made recently by Nestor Nkwo, the mayor’s budget chief, were a rare glimpse into the behind-the-scenes efforts by City Hall and the police union to reach a new collective bargaining agreement. The men and women of the force have been working without a contract since last July.

Both the union and Acting Police Chief Rebeca Garcia have blamed health care premiums for an exodus of officers leaving Bridgeport for other departments. According to data released earlier this year by the chief’s office, 53 officers left in 2021, just over half of those — 26 — for jobs elsewhere.

Nkwo recently briefed City Council members on the highlights of Ganim’s proposed 2022-23 municipal budget. When the issue of depleted police manpower and health insurance came up, Nkwo acknowledged, “On the table, the city is willing to lower the health insurance rate.”

“But we have to get something in return from the union,” he said.

Ganim in an interview said, “I don’t want to negotiate in the newspaper.”

And Larry Dorman, spokesperson for the police union, said, “While we don’t comment on negotiations, we can say it is our hope to reach a fair and honorable agreement that will help recruit and retain officers.”

A few years ago then-Mayor Bill Finch’s administration struck collective bargaining agreements with not just the police but other municipal labor groups, eliminating post-retirement health coverage for new hires and requiring their insurance costs gradually increase to reduce the burden on taxpayers. As a result, many newer employees currently pay around 37 percent of their premiums.

One concern is whether reversing some of that change for the police will set an expensive precedent with other municipal unions demanding similar changes to their contracts.

Dorman works for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the parent organization for not only Bridgeport’s police force but some other local collective bargaining units as well. Dorman did not respond to a request about whether all AFSCME members will want the Ganim administration to lessen their health costs.

James Meszoros is president of the local branch of the National Association of Government Employees, which also represents a large portion of Bridgeport’s government workforce and is also in contract talks with the city. Meszoros did not wish to comment on those negotiations, but said the price of health insurance and health care is “always a concern for all our members.”

City Councilman Scott Burns is a budget committee co-chairman. He said at the end of the day the priority needs to be for city officials to find ways of attracting and keeping police officers.

“There’s no getting around the reality that you’ve got to remain competitive, somehow or another,” he said.