Engaging with school district administrators is key to understanding their concerns. The Office of Financial Management (OFM) engages school districts and local ESDs to solicit feedback through a bargaining resource team, comprising school district leaders, to inform proposals and concepts exchanged at the bargaining table.

The makeup and structure of the coalition is determined by unions that represent school employees after careful research and consideration. The coalition bargaining team currently includes representatives of: American Federation of Teachers Washington; Association of Washington Principals; Operating Engineers; Public School Employees of Washington; Service Employees International Union; Teamsters; and Washington Education Association. The spokesperson for the coalition is Shawn Lewis, with WEA.

For the state, representatives from the Office of Financial Management (OFM) directly negotiate with a coalition of school employee unions, with staff support from the Health Care Authority (HCA).

The results of bargaining are applied to all employees of school districts and charter schools, regardless of their representation status, and to all represented employees of educational service districts.

RCW 41.56.500 (3) requires that the state bargain for all school employees with a coalition representing school employee unions across the state over funding for health care benefits governed by the SEBB program. By law, the purpose of bargaining is to determine the dollar amount to be contributed on behalf of each employee for health care benefits. The bargaining is not intended to restrict the type, quality, or specific benefit offerings that the SEBB Program offers.

No. The employee can choose which SEBB Organization to participate in. Only that organization pays the employer contribution. 

If new employees who are eligible for SEBB benefits do not either enroll in or waive SEBB Program medical coverage within SEBB timelines, they will be automatically enrolled in the benefits below. They will also be charged a $25-per-month tobacco use premium surcharge. This surcharge can be stopped if the employee attests that they do not use tobacco. Attestation can be done either in Benefits 24/7 or on a paper enrollment form.

• Medical: UMP Achieve 1
• Dental: Uniform Dental Plan (no premium)
• Vision: MetLife vision (no premium)
• Basic life: MetLife (no premium)
• Basic accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D): MetLife (no premium)
• Basic long-term disability (LTD): The Standard (no premium)

No. The tobacco use and spouse or state-registered domestic partner coverage premium surcharges do not apply if medical coverage is waived.

No. They can only waive SEBB medical coverage if they are enrolled in other employer-based group medical insurance, a TRICARE plan, or Medicare. Retirement policies are not employer-based, so they do not qualify.

The formula for insuring SEBB organization employees and their dependents includes an estimated rate of employee waivers. If anticipated waivers weren’t factored in, that uncertainty would need to be funded by raising the amount employers pay  per employee for benefits. The state pools funds to pay for everyone enrolled in the program. Also, keep in mind that employees who waive medical will still receive other benefits.