Healthcare fight lurches forward

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - The tense fight between Providence Mayor David Cicilline and city labor unions over switching health insurance providers continued Wednesday with a hearing before an arbitrator.

Mayor Cicilline sparked outrage among city labor unions when he announced he was switching from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island to United Healthcare.

The Mayor said at the time the move would save the city $11 million, but unions disputed his numbers saying it could cost taxpayers more than $2 million.

The fight came to a boiling point last October when the mayor was greeted by hundreds of screaming city workers at a massive protest outside a Cicilline fundraiser.

The unions eventually took their fight to court and in December former Chief Justice Frank Williams ruled in favor of the unions, temporarily postponing the Mayor's January 1st deadline. Williams ruled the fight would be handled by an outside arbitrator.

In a small victory to city attorneys, however, Williams chose attorney Gerard Visconti to handle the arbitration. Visconti was on the city's list as choice for arbitrator. A labor official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said they were "disappointed" by the choice.

At the heart of the issue is whether or not the mayor can unilaterally switch health insurers without collective bargaining.

Both sides agreed they would sign-on to whatever the arbitrator decides. Williams set an aggressive timeline; ordering a decision must be made by May 15.

Wednesday labor unions representing the police, fire and municipal workers each had 45 minutes to argue their case. City lawyers then responded.

This was the first hearing before Visconti. Several more are scheduled in the coming weeks.