After much uncertainty, health insurance coverage for Greenbriar Hotel employees will not lapse, according to a statement released by the hotel Thursday.
Health insurance for hundreds of resort employees was originally scheduled to expire Tuesday, but the end date was extended until Saturday after an auction was averted last week for the Greenbrier Hotel, owned by Gov. Jim Justice, who is campaigning for a Republican senate seat.
The insurance termination was first reported last week when hotel employees received a letter from an attorney representing the Amalgamated National Health Fund stating that the Greenbrier Hotel Corporation was four months behind on its contributions to the health insurance fund. The letter stated that the company owes about $2.4 million in past-due contributions, with another $1.2 million due soon. The letter also stated that the company was collecting insurance contributions from employees' paychecks but not sending them to the health insurance fund.
In a statement Thursday, first reported by MetroNews, a representative for Greenbriar denied that there were any past due payments or that any donations had not been made.
“Employee contributions deducted from employees' paychecks have always been transferred to the health fund on time, and the contributions have never been used for any purpose other than health insurance for Greenbrier employees,” the resort's statement read.
Representatives for Greenbriar did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.
Ronald Richman, an attorney with the law firm Schulte, Roth & Zabel, who represents the Consolidated National Health Fund, confirmed in an email to West Virginia Watch on Monday that the Greenbriar Hotel Corporation is still four months behind on its contributions to the fund.
Richman could not be reached for comment Thursday.
At a press conference last week, Justice denied there had been any leaks in payments to the health fund.
“As we have done in various ways in the past, the insurance has been paid and I swear to God it will continue to be paid regularly,” Justice said.
Justice reiterated that refusal Thursday in response to a question from MetroNews' Brad McElhinney, who was granted access to this week's briefings after weeks of denials.
He said allegations that money was taken from employees and not put into the health fund were “categorically false”.
“Brad, from my perspective, the worst thing about this is that I'm not the one being harassed,” Justice said. “This is really what it comes down to: Concerns about employees. They're good people…”
Peter Bostic, president of the Greenbrier Labor Council, said in an emailed statement Thursday that the union is “pleased and relieved” that a “settlement agreement” has been reached between the health care fund and Greenbrier. Details of the settlement have not been made public.
“We hope that The Greenbrier will honor all of its commitments and contractual obligations going forward, and that members are not forced to endure uncertainty in the future,” Bostic wrote. “It is the hard work and dedication of our members that makes The Greenbrier the storied destination it is.”
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect comments from Gov. Jim Justice's weekly executive briefing.
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