Prior to Act 10, employees could negotiate with their employers to contribute some or all of any statute -
mandated employee share of retirement benefits.42 The bill eliminated that option, forcing employees to pay half of retirement plan contributions — which totaled 5.8 percent of teachers»
salary for the 2011 - 12 school year — once collective bargaining agreements expired.43 Act 10 also set
minimum employee contributions for state health plan enrollment, while in the past, teachers could negotiate for their employers to cover a greater share of costs, potentially in exchange for smaller
salary increases.44