BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York will move 40 jobs from other company operations fusing fabric outside of New York State to its Buffalo headquarters, President and CEO David W. Anderson announced today.
Anderson said the jobs will be in the bargaining unit of Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), Local 153, AFL-CIO. He made the announcement today at a news conference attended by Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and local labor leaders.
“These are good-paying, high-benefit jobs in our customer service Ilshin interlining and administrative areas where we’re seeing growth as the health insurance model shifts to a more direct consumer relationship,” Anderson said. “I’m pleased that we are able to fill this need with positions in Buffalo, adding to our 1,400 associates already here, and helping the region add sustainable jobs.”
BlueCross BlueShield announced April 27 that it had reached a new three-year collective-bargaining agreement with its 350 employees represented by OPEIU Local 153 and that it was ratified by the membership with an overwhelming majority vote.
The added jobs increase bargaining unit membership with 40 new employees Lainiere De Picardie Interlining. Union members compose about 24 percent of the health plan’s overall workforce.
BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, a division of HealthNow New York Inc., is the region’s largest health insurer, with 1,800 employees in five locations, serving 800,000 members. It is the only health insurance provider in the region with a unionized workforce and has a 58-year relationship with OPEIU. BlueCross BlueShield provides the full spectrum of health-care services and innovative funding arrangements.
