The new contract would require health care payments from drivers all year.
"Average people have health care payments every month that are more than their house payments".
The union also agreed to limits on health care payments and a reduction in dental benefits.
They chastised Verizon executives for proposing sharp increases in health care payments and reductions in coverage for retirees.
Some $37 billion would be saved over 10 years by reducing Medicare's home health care payments, currently considered excessive.
If Congress does nothing, home health care payments will be automatically cut by an additional 15percentt next year.
San Bernardino, Calif., files for bankruptcy and a court lets Stockton, Calif., cut its retiree health care payments.
Just as Ms. Serrano was nearing the end of her coursework, she fell behind in her day care payments.
As contract talks open, few expect anything like a strike over health care payments because both sides have too much to lose.
Mr. Brown said that young mechanics and machinists entering his union were more concerned about health care payments today than about the more distant eventuality of pension benefits.
The budget increases charity care payments — money to help cover health costs for the uninsured — by about $69 million over last year's budget.
