By GREGORY N. HEIRES

Benefits and health insurance for DC 37 members will be protected and improved by the January agreement between the municipal unions and the city.

The benefit package includes the largest single infusion of cash for members’ benefits in history. Importantly, it should strengthen the financial stability of the union’s prescription drug benefit, which has been facing tremendous strain because of soaring medication costs.

Combined with the pension gains won last year, the agreement paves the way for DC 37 to focus on bargaining a new wage and salary contract.

“As we prepared for contract negotiations, members indicated that preserving and expanding their benefits was one of their top concerns,” said DC 37 Administrator Lee Saunders. “This agreement achieves that.”

The deal provides millions of dollars of relief to the union’s prescription drug program by switching coverage of asthma, chemotherapy, psychotropic and injectable medications to health insurance carriers. Ultimately, the savings should help hold down co-pays in the plan.

The transfer of coverage will also permit affected members to reduce their medication costs. Health plans won’t charge for asthma and chemotherapy drugs, and co-payments will be reduced for psychotropic and injectable medications.

Better mental health coverage

The pact also provides for unlimited in-network coverage by GHI Mental Health, a new HIP in-patient alcohol and substance abuse program with no co-payment, an increased fee schedule for GHI physicians in Manhattan, and a new panel of GHI doctors in targeted areas outside the tri-state region, such as Florida.

New and improved benefits include a payroll deduction for New York State’s College Savings Program, a 401(k) savings program, and a novel bulk-purchasing program, which will allow members to save on big-ticket items like computers.

Mr. Saunders, DC 37 Secretary and Local 768 President Helen Greene, Local 371 President Charles Ensley and Local 372 President Veronica Montgomery-Costa represented the union on the MLC Steering Committee, which negotiated the benefits package.

Key staff in the talks included DC 37 Deputy Administrator Dennis Sullivan, General Counsel Joel Giller, Associate Director Evelyn Seinfeld and Assistant Director Michael Musuraca of the Research and Negotiations Dept., and Health and Security Plan Administrator Roslyn Yasser.