TRAVERSE CITY -- Grand Traverse County workers will no longer pay for their health insurance after the county board agreed to give its non-union employees the same free health insurance benefit county commissioners claim for themselves.
The board voted 5 to 2 this week to give its non-union employees 1.5 percent pay increases and eliminate the $500 to $1,400 they contribute annually toward health insurance premiums. Non-union employees were the last group in the county required to pay 10 percent of their insurance premiums.
The county board eliminated the premium co-pay for elected officials last month, but kept their salaries at the same levels.
Commissioners Bruce Hooper, Larry Inman, Larry Fleis, Dick Thomas and Mike Stepka voted to award free health insurance to non-union employees.
Fleis said the 1.5 percent raise and elimination of premium co-pays were justified when comparing non-union wages to the rest of the county's employees.
Commissioners Christine Maxbauer and Ross Richardson voted against the plan. Commissioners Beth Friend and Addison Wheelock Jr. were absent.
"I do believe everyone should pay something for health care and I do believe that this motion is a step backwards," Maxbauer said. "We should do one or the other; we should either raise their salary or eliminate the health care (payment), but we certainly should not do both."
