The provision is part of a proposed ordinance that would set the compensation for all city of Dayton employees who are not members of a union. The first reading of that ordinance happened Wednesday night, meaning a vote could happen next week.
City of Dayton Human Resources Director Ken Couch said Dayton banned tobacco on city property in 2019, with a few exceptions.
“Tobacco use by our employees and their family members is costing us $2 million a year,” Couch said. “I’m not telling you you can’t smoke, I’m just telling you if you do smoke, you’re going to pay a little bit more to offset the cost.”
Some employers and insurers across the nation have started penalizing employees who smoke and vape by instituting fees or charging higher premiums.
The Affordable Care Act allows insurance companies to charge smokers up to 50% more than nonsmokers.
Four years ago, Dayton announced that it would no longer hire workers who used nicotine or tobacco.
The city tests potential employees for these substances during the pre-employment screening process.
In the first 20 months of the city’s new prohibitions on nicotine and tobacco, 11 job candidates tested positive for the substances.
Six of those people were not hired, but five were, said Ken Thomas, secretary and chief examiner for civil service.
Candidates who test positive for nicotine or tobacco can take part in a cessation plan.
One of the hires, a police recruit, was discharged during a probationary period for failing a second nicotine test, Thomas said.
Human resource officials have said that employees who smoke cost about $6,000 more per year on average than other workers in direct medical costs and lost productivity.
It was not immediately clear whether the city is trying to get its unionized workers to also be subject to this policy.
The city and the firefighters union also have drafted a proposed collective bargaining agreement.
The Dayton Daily News has requested this document but has not received it yet. It is unclear if it contains language about a nicotine and tobacco surcharge.
The city’s largest union — Dayton Public Service Union, AFSCME Local 101 — is in active negotiations with the city and cannot provide details about what a collective bargaining agreement could include at this time, a union official said.
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