What never gets noticed nor mentioned is that this contribution is in addition to the medical plan contributions made by the company on each employee's behalf, which are obligated by the agreement. They are prorated on his/her monthly earnings at straight time (reduced rate for overtime). This has been in the agreements for several decades, but since the individual never sees an accounting of these monies, he/she is unaware of their magnitude. These recent "employee contributions" represent an attempt by management to shove some of the company contributions onto the employees. Thus this "$229" is really on the tip of an iceberg, so to speak, of the total -employee+employer- medical contributions.