The Sound of the Other Shoe Slipping Off the Foot Both Jennifer and Tammy have good articles on what will be the final stretch of the city's insurance premium debacle. The Mayor has procured the services of an independent auditor to look into the unions' claims that the administration of John Barrett underpaid their share of premium, and hence, owes the city's employees many hundreds of thousands of dollars.

While I am not an accountant, it seemed very clear to me based upon the numbers provided to the Teacher's Union by the city, that, indeed, the city screwed up. (previous posts on the subject here;)

Since that time, a friend who knows a little something about the subject told me that insurance law precedent backs the union's position because a self-insured entity, which the city is, is a carrier. In insurance parlance, it basically means it's the city's problem, not the union's.

I hope that if this turns out as I suspect that the unions find a gentle solution that does not wallop the city with a huge upfront payment of back wages. I am sure that they would settle for some concessions on the city's part in the form of a premium holiday, or something like that.


On a related note, it was conveyed to me that this subject in particular severely complicated any attempts by former Mayor Barrett to rejoin the ranks of the teachers in the North Adams Public Schools. Tangled, tangled webs.  ¶ 1:33 AM