June 2009 Golden Fleece Winner

The June 2009 Golden Fleece Award goes to Tri-Met, the Portland Metropolitan Transit Agency that serves the tri-county area.

Tri-Met currently spends as much as $1,932 per employee per month on health insurance premiums. In case you are wondering, that is more than any other transit district in the country! What’s more, Tri-Met pays the full cost of the health insurance premiums not only for current employees, but for retirees as well! Employees and retirees pay absolutely nothing toward the costs of their health insurance.

Neither do state employees, who also have great health benefits. But guess what, health insurance premiums for the state cost at most $1,245 per month per employee. That is roughly 65% less than what Tri-Met pays for the health insurance for their employees. Why doesn’t Tri-Met simply buy into the state plan and save almost $700 per employee? Especially when a recent report prepared by Tri-Met’s own Citizen’s Advisory Committee on the Budget called Tri-Met’s health benefit plan “Rich” and “Unsustainable”.

Over half of Tri-Met’s revenues come from taxes imposed on residents who live in the tri-county area (not from fare revenue, as some may have you believe). Which means that when Tri-Met’s health benefits plan becomes insolvent, taxpayers are going to be left footing the bill for bus drivers who enjoy Cadillac health insurance.

• ATTENTION OREGON TAXPAYERS!

  Know of Government Waste or Outrageous Spending? Expose it Anonymously by CLICKING HERE or Calling the Tip Line at 1-877-U-Fleece (1-877-835-3323)

• Blogroll

  • Blue Oregon
  • Jack Bogadanski
  • Jeff Mapes
  • Northwest Republican
  • Oregon Catalyst
  • Oregon Watchdog
  • Politicker