Nobody told *me* about this

Edited to correct an earlier mis-reading of the story. This is what I get for trying to blog in those six minutes over breakfast.

Proving that I am indeed a lone voice in the wilderness, this morning's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel features more teachers' union bashing. It comes in this story from Alan Borsuk, about a north side pharmacy using a loophole in the state law to abuse the "hold harmless" clause that exists for MPS's health insurance plans until November 1:

The Pharmacy, 8430 W. Capitol Drive, has been allowed to "price-gouge with impunity," MPS said in legal papers filed as part of arbitration proceedings over a contract with teachers that was recently settled in favor of the School Board and administration.

In practices that go back more than 20 years, MPS employees have avoided paying the 20% share of prescription costs that they otherwise would have to pay when they get prescriptions filled by The Pharmacy. At least in recent years, MPS officials say the drug store then has billed MPS an amount far enough above the going rate for prescriptions to more than make up that 20%.

To get out of paying the 20%, teachers and retirees sign affidavits that say paying their share would impose "an undue financial hardship" on them. There are no standards set in state law for what constitutes such a hardship.

I'm not afraid to call 'em like I see 'em, and this is clearly an abuse on the part of The Pharmacy and any MPS employees who were taking advantage of it. And how many people is that? Well, you have to get almost to the end of the story to find out that it's down to maybe 75 people, total, who are costing the district around $100,000 a year. I don't listen to right-wing radio, but I bet you a nickel that Sykes, Belling, and Co. will spend more time on this story today than they have total on the story of the choice school official who stole $750,000 of taxpayer money.

And the union bashing:

Leaders of the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association say they agreed that there were problems with the high billing from The Pharmacy but that they thought the issue could be resolved without taking the language about paying "100% of submitted costs" out of the contract. Sam Carmen, executive director of the teachers union, said the union offered to work with the administration to deal with The Pharmacy.

But MPS officials said during arbitration hearings that when efforts had been made in the past to trim the amounts claimed by The Pharmacy, union officials had objected, saying the full claims had to be paid.

In written closing arguments for the arbitration, Donald. L. Schriefer, the assistant city attorney representing MPS, wrote: "The MTEA knows all about The Pharmacy. Its long association with The Pharmacy . . . suggests not only a full understanding of The Pharmacy's practices but at least tacit support."

Documents submitted by MPS included a 1982 union newsletter announcing that two pharmacies were offering to waive the 20% payment under the MPS plan for prescriptions, saying, "You pay nothing and do no paperwork." Gollin was involved in the two pharmacies, which have evolved into The Pharmacy.

1982. Yes, 1982. It's absurd to suggest that a newsletter from twenty-flipping-three years ago is "tacit support" today. In fact, 90% of MPS's current teachers weren't even working for the district in 1982. No one told me I could go get free prescriptions at The Pharmacy (not that I would), and no one seems to have encouraged any of the other 9,925 or so MPS employees to do it, either. And of course the union should fight to keep employees from being responisible for costs that they should not be under the contract; that's the union's job, and if they didn't do it, we'd fire them. It's the district's responsibility--Aetna's, really--to fight with providers over "hold harmless" costs, and for the most part, Aetna wins. That it couldn't win in this case suggests a failure on Aetna's part, not the union's.

So, thanks, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. You just made my job so much more fun today.