BTU leadership conducted research to see if there was anything that could be done concerning the high cost of BTU retirees’ health plan. What we learned is that retirees were moved to the City of Baltimore’s retiree health plan sometime during Mayor William Donald Schaefer’s tenure as mayor (1971-1987).
As retirees, you are not considered within either the Teacher or PSRP bargaining units. Because retirees are not in the bargaining units, the BTU has no legal right or power to bargain over your health care. Moreover, the BTU has no right to bargain with the City of Baltimore on your behalf because the BTU is certified as the exclusive representative of current employees of the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners.
As you may recall, during the 1997 legislative session of the General Assembly, the Baltimore City Public School System was removed from the control of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore and came under the control of a separate legal entity, the New Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners (now known as the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners).
In sum, the BTU cannot bargain with the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore or the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners on behalf of retirees’ health care benefits.