The Dearborn Federation of Teachers has approved a new four-year contract. The contract includes pay cuts, as well as a new health care plan. The contract says that the school will cap its contribution to employee health care at $12,000 per employee, and that the union will purchase and manage the plan. The union will purchase the plan through the Michigan State AFL-CIO Public Employee Trust, which provides health care plans for other public employees. The superintendent of the school district and the president of the Michigan chapter of the American Federation of Teachers both praised the plan, and said that it could serve as a model for other schools. The overall contract is expected to save the district around $4 million next year.
See "Dearborn teachers union votes to run health plan", Chicago Tribune, May 3, 2011