The city of Jamestown will have to go through an arbitration process before increasing health care premiums for its police officers and firefighters.

Judge Steven Cass on Monday granted an injunction requested by the union representing the police officers and firefighters as well as retirees in the two departments to take the 22% increase in health insurance premiums to an arbitrator.

The union filed a lawsuit challenging an increase in their health care premiums on Dec. 20 in state Supreme Court. Police officers and firefighters currently pay 23% of their health and dental insurance premiums. The city approved a 22% increase in employee health care premiums in its 2025 budget. The higher premiums are supposed to go into effect Jan. 1, but the unions are asking the court for a preliminary injunction to stop the increase because the grievance process outlined in the unions’ contracts can’t be followed before the increased premiums begin being withdrawn from employee and retiree paychecks.

Cass ruled that arguments from both the unions and the city were inconclusive if health insurance coverage would remain the same if members did not file an enrollment form by Dec. 27, 2024, or did not pay the increased premiums listed on the form. Prior state Supreme Court cases found courts should grant preliminary injunction if there is uncertainty whether or not an employee’s health care coverage would be affected. Cass granted a preliminary injunction of no more than 120 days, during which the city can’t require employees from completing the benefit plan enrollment form or from increasing 2024 health insurance premiums.

Health care premiums were increased after employee health benefit contributions were not increased based on recommended provider premium increases for the past three years — meaning taxpayers paid more of increasing health care costs than employees did from 2022 through 2024.

Elliott Raimondo, city corporation counsel, said the increase in health care costs isn’t an increase in the percentage of payments the union members pay, but an increase in the cost of the plan. The cost the city is quoting to employees for coverage is $24,919.80 for a traditional family plan and $10,536.12 for a traditional individual plan. The cost for a hybrid plan is $23,763.24 for a family and $10,059.36 for an individual.

Cass said decisions on the merits of the union’s argument should be placed in the hands of an arbitrator.

“There is nothing in the collective bargaining agreements that permits the respondents to unilaterally pass on any amount of level of premium increase to the petitioning members, and any contractual provision providing for unlimited potential premium increases would be unconscionable,” Cass wrote. “Given this uncertainty or potential ambiguity in the collective bargaining agreement, the court finds that the petitioners have made a prima facie showing of a right to relief and the final determination on the merits should be decided in arbitration.”