Sen. Kissel Requests State Review on Insurance for Hallmark Employees

Sen. John A. Kissel today wrote to the state’s top labor official requesting clarification on future insurance coverage for Hallmark employees in Enfield.

On Monday, Hallmark announced it will not offer workers both extended health care benefits and severance pay when the Enfield plant closes in June 2016, cutting 570 jobs.

“Hallmark employees are worried about their careers and their families’ futures,” Kissel said. “This is a very unstable time for them with a lot of unknowns. Questions have arisen about insurance coverage, and those questions deserve answers. People need to be able to plan ahead for any and all scenarios, and we need to help them prepare.”

In his Aug. 19 letter to Connecticut Department of Labor Commissioner Sharon Palmer, Kissel wrote, “Many Hallmark employees have expressed concerns about future insurance coverage. There appears to be a difference of opinion on state law versus federal law. Hallmark has stated that while Connecticut law mandates continued coverage, federal law in the form of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act preempts the state mandate.”

Kissel said he was requesting “a full review of this decision and the law referenced to ensure that my constituents are being treated as fairly as possible.”