Had they participated in the self-funding plan, their co-payments would have dropped by about $11.61 per month.

Also, two widows of former firefighters will wind up paying a total of $3,113.70 more a year, rather than paying $1,077.82 less, Calnon said.

The widows are allowed to access the health plan but pay 100 percent of the premium.

"I am delighted that we have been able to implement the HMO funding change for the four bargaining units that have agreed to it," Calnon said.

"The firefighters, in the most expensive category of HMO, will see their deduction for health-insurance rise by almost $60 a month, starting Dec. 1.

"I am mystified as to why the firefighters do not want savings for themselves or the taxpayers."

A negotiating session between the city and the firefighters union is scheduled for today.

Union Vice President Edmund Sanderson said the health-insurance issue is just one of many the union wants to resolve.

He said the task force was assembled to find the savings, but the union never agreed to have the recommendations implemented without overall negotiations.

"Once savings are found, the fastest way to get them is to bypass negotiations and implement them," Sanderson said.

"That happens when negotiations are not going on, but we are in negotiations."

Sanderson said union members are also wary of previous side agreements that have not worked out.

He also said the mayor and council violated the ground rules of negotiations by voting on their proposal last week.

"They violated the ground rules of negotiations to take a political vote and make the Fire Department look bad," Sanderson said.

"If they didn't like our proposal, they could have rejected it in negotiations and given a counter-proposal for the good of the taxpayers."