By Michelle McNiel

World staff writer

WENATCHEE — A last-ditch effort to save two city employees from layoffs next week failed Thursday when an employees’ union voted against changes in their current health care benefits.

If the 75 employees represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 846 had agreed to pay more for their insurance premiums, the city would have reversed two of the four layoffs at the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center.

“It’s really disappointing,” said museum Director Brenda Abney. “The union members had an opportunity to save two jobs. You hope that people would step up and help their fellow employees when needed.”

She added, “Museum employees have always been the odd ducks in the union. Everyone else is in Public Works.”

Tom Cash, staff representative for AFSME, said the union understands that Wenatchee is experiencing budget problems and that it is "traditionally the first, if not the only one of the city's unions at times to enter into concessions."

He said that in the months since city officials first asked for the health benefit changes, AFSME has proposed alternative concessions that would have achieved the same level of cuts. He said he did not want to give specifics about the proposals, but he said the city did not accept them.

"The local (846) felt this was more about insurance concessions than looking for a solution to the budget problem," he said.

AFSME is one of the city’s three employee unions, which were all asked earlier this year to concede to paying more for health insurance premiums to help ease financial problems with the city budget.

The city was paying 100 percent of employees’ premiums and 75-90 percent of their dependents’ premiums. The benefits are guaranteed by contracts and can only be changed if the city and the unions both agree to it.

City officials wanted to lower its premium payments to 90 percent for employees and 60 percent for dependents.

When the unions failed to collectively agree on concessions, Mayor Frank Kuntz announced 16 layoffs in the museum, police department and fire department.

Since then, firefighters agreed to pay more for their premiums which, coupled with two early retirements and a job-sharing agreement, stopped the eight layoffs in their department.

The police union chose not to change their medical benefits but offered alternative concessions and early retirements that resulted in just one layoff in their department.

The AFMSE union, which represents that four museum employees being laid of next week, also chose not to make changes to benefits. But Kuntz made a last-minute offer to stop two museum layoffs

Of the 75 city employees in the union, 43 chose to participate in Thursday’s vote. They voted 33-10 against any changes in their benefits.

Kuntz said he got a text message during Thursday night’s City Council meeting with the vote results, which he announced.

“We couldn’t get it done,” he said.

Abney said that the nonprofit arm of the museum, the Wenatchee Valley Museum Foundation, will be able to hire two of the employees back on a part-time basis. The other two may be hired on a contractual basis as money allows.

Michelle McNiel: 664-7152

mcniel@wenatcheeworld.com