DETROIT UTILITY WORKERS ENDORSE HR 676 Detroit, Michigan. Utility Workers Union of America (UWA) Local 223 has James Harrison, Local 223 President said after the endorsement: “Healthcare prices in the U.S. are rising at a rate of almost three times overall inflation and healthcare spending is soaring at close to double digit percent increases per year and yet health care quality remains poor, with as many as 100,000 preventable deaths per year and billions of dollars wasted in the current system. “The Utility Workers are proud to stand with our brothers and sisters in the labor movement in supporting national healthcare legislation that assures every American has access to affordable quality health care.”
Local Unions in Kentucky, New York and Maryland Endorse HR 676 Four local unions in New York, Maryland and Kentucky have endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers In Baltimore, Maryland, IAM Local Lodge 543 has endorsed HR 676. In Cheektowaga, New York, Local 210 of the Laborers (LIUNA) has also endorsed the Conyers bill, reports Business Manager Sam Capitano. In Louisville, Kentucky, Local 1447 of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), which represents drivers, mechanics, clerks, and service personnel at the Transit Authority of River City, endorsed the single payer legislation, according to President Jonathan Dooley. In Island Park, New York, Stephen Sombrotto, President of the 1,000 member Local 621 of the United Workers of America, reported his local endorsed the Conyers bill and said: “Our members and Executive Board feel that in the richest most powerful country in the world for our citizens to be without healthcare is absolutely not acceptable. Politicians have a moral obligation to the citizens of this country to get every person covered and show the rest of the world that we are not a selfish wasteful society. If the powers that be get this done, I believe you will see the people follow and take care and sacrifice for the better good of our nation.” HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system in the U.S. by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to every resident. HR 676 would cover every person in the U. S. for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care, chiropractic and long term care. HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs. HR 676 currently has 90 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers. Co-sponsors and bill text are here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.00676: HR 676 has been endorsed by 408 union organizations in 48 states including For further information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample endorsement resolution, contact: Kay Tillow To STOP receiving these emails reply with REMOVE in the subject line.
CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION ENDORSES HR 676 Chicago, Illinois. The 36,000 member Chicago Teachers Union (AFT Local The April 2nd endorsement came at the Local’s 600 member House of Delegates meeting by a near unanimous vote. Those who spoke for the endorsement pointed out that not only would HR 676 cover everyone in the country but would also enable the union to take healthcare off the collective bargaining table. The Chicago Teachers Union represents teachers and educational support personnel working in the 600 schools within the Chicago Public School System. Its members include approximately 26,500 teachers, 6,500 paraprofessionals and 3,000 retirees. The CTU is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT), the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) and the Illinois AFL-CIO.
LABOR COUNCILS IN OREGON, MASSACHUSETTS & NY ENDORSE HR 676 Three more labor councils have endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). One hundred and three central labor councils or area labor federations have now endorsed HR 676. In Central Point, Oregon, the Southern Oregon Central Labor Council endorsed HR 676, reports Carol Bennett the council’s Secretary/Treasurer. In Lowell, Massachusetts, the Merrimack Valley Central Labor Council also endorsed the Conyers legislation. The council has 35 affiliates with 40,000 union members in 32 Massachusetts cities and towns. In Cattaragus, New York, the Cattaragus-Allegany Counties Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, also endorsed HR 676, reports Council President Hobart Rhinehart.
PHILADELPHIA AFL-CIO ENDORSES HR 676 Philadelphia, PA. The Philadelphia Council of the AFL-CIO has endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). This is the one hundred and fourth central labor council to endorse the Conyers legislation. Pat Eiding, who before becoming Council President was Business Manager of Asbestos Workers & Insulators Local 14, said after the vote: “47 million uninsured people in America is an embarrassment. We need to find a better way to do health care in this country. HR 676 would provide coverage to all Americans without shifting the burden onto individuals – which is a key element in any reform effort.” The Philadelphia Council represents over 150,000 union members in the nation’s 6th largest city and has over 100 affiliated local unions in the private, public, building and transportation sectors. The endorsement resolution was introduced by Jim Savage, president of USW Local 10-1 and a vice president of the Philadelphia Council.
H.R.676 NEWS394 Local Unions and Organizations in 48 states including 100th LABOR COUNCIL ENDORSES HR 676 Lynn, Massachusetts. The North Shore Labor Council is the one hundredth Central Labor Council to endorse HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). Jeff Crosby, Council President, said: “We in Massachusetts have ample experience with the fraud of health-care ‘reform’ that claims to provide universal coverage without containing costs. The Massachusetts bill is collapsing as we speak. And the only way to contain costs is to go after the drug companies and the insurance companies with a chain-saw. HR 676 does that best.” The North Shore Labor Council has 44 local union affiliates with 18,000 members. Crosby is president of IUE-CWA Local 201 at the historic Lynn GE plant. He is also one of four regular bloggers on the AFL-CIO website (http://blog.aflcio.org/category/diaries/?aid=22).
Los Angeles County Labor Federation is 99th CLC to Endorse HR 676 The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, representing over 800,000 union workers and their families, has endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). This is the 99th central labor council to endorse the Conyers legislation. The resolution supporting HR 676 was introduced by Joshua Pechthalt, President of AFT Local 1021, United Teachers of Los Angeles. Pechthalt is also a vice president of the LA County Federation. Pechthalt said: “The struggle to win and maintain quality health care is something our members deal with every time they sit down and negotiate a contract. We are committed to achieving guaranteed, comprehensive health care reform for all. The current system that has insurance companies skimming off exorbitant profits rates while millions of Americans either have inadequate or no health care coverage must be stopped.”
Maryland IBEW and NY Plumber Locals Endorse HR 676 Two more building trades local unions have endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). In Cockeysville, Maryland, IBEW Local 1501 has endorsed the Conyers bill. In South Glens Falls, New York, Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) Local 773 has also endorsed HR 676, reports Larry Bulman, Business Manager. Bulman, who also serves as the Chair of the Saratoga City Democratic Party, says of his local’s endorsement, “It was an easy decision.” Cayuga County NY Central Labor Council is 98th CLC to Endorse HR 676 Auburn, New York. The Cayuga County Central Labor Council became the George Farenthold, Council President said: “The Conyers bill is everything that organized labor has been fighting for, for most of the last 25 years. We're pleased to join the other 97 labor councils in making an all out effort to make HR 676 the law of the land.” He said the council’s resolution passed unanimously on March 8th. #30# BRING YOUR UNION ON FOR GUARANTEED NATIONAL SINGLE PAYER HEALTHCARE HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system in the U.S. by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to every resident. HR 676 would cover every person in the U. S. for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care, chiropractic and long term care. HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs. HR 676 currently has 88 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers. Co-sponsors and bill text are here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.00676: HR 676 has been endorsed by 392 union organizations in 48 states including For further information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample endorsement resolution, contact: Kay Tillow
NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE BUILDING TRADES COUNCIL ENDORSES HR 676 Hooksett, New Hampshire. The New Hampshire State Building and Edward Foley, State Council President who also serves as Business Representative of Sheet Metal Workers Local 17, said after the April 3rd unanimous council vote: “The NHSBCTC is proud to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the labor movement. In the USA it is unacceptable that the cost of health insurance should drive working families into bankruptcy and force average Americans to choose between health insurance or food on the table or college tuition for their children. It is high time that we solved the crisis of affordable health insurance for every American. HR 676 is one giant step forward for the American people.” New Hampshire is the fourth state building and construction trades council to endorse HR 676. The others are Maine, Texas, and Washington. Seven city or county building trades councils have also endorsed HR 676.
SANTA CRUZ FEDERATION of TEACHERS (AFT) ENDORSES HR 676 Santa Cruz, California. The Greater Santa Cruz Federation of Teachers In announcing the endorsement AFT Local 2030 President Barry Kirschen said: "Adequate health care must not be considered a luxury enjoyed only by the rich but a basic service provided to the populace by the governments of great nations. It is high time that the U.S. adopt a plan to provide health coverage to every man, woman and child in this nation.” The union represents 600 certificated faculty, adult educators and substitute teachers employed by the Santa Cruz City School System. UNITED TRANSPORTATION UNION (UTU) ENDORSES HR 676 Cleveland, Ohio. The 125,000 member United Transportation Union (UTU) is James Brunkenhoefer, UTU National Legislative Director, said: "The UTU is for HR 676 because single payer health care will reduce costs without impacting the quality of the care." The endorsement resolution was passed by the UTU’s U.S. Legislative Committee during the Tenth Quadrennial Convention. The union is the largest operating rail union in the U.S. with over 600 local unions. Twelve other international unions have endorsed HR 676 including the UAW, NEA, IAM, Plumbers & Pipefitters (UA), Musicians (AFM), UE, CNA/NNOC, ILWU, NALC, Sheetmetal (SMWIA), IFPTE & OPEIU. NEW YORK UNION LEADERS URGE ALL STATE & CLC's TO ENDORSE HR 676 Nineteen New York labor leaders have sent a letter to all local unions and central labor councils in the state urging them to endorse of HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers(D-MI).
Two Labor Councils in NY Endorse HR 676; Bring Total to 97 Two
labor councils in upstate New York have endorsed HR 676, single payer
healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). The Tri-County Labor Council represents unions in Chenango, Delaware and Otsego Counties. CALIFORNIA SCHOOL EMPLOYEES (CSEA) ENDORSE HR 676 San Jose, California. The 230,000 member California School Employees The CSEA, directly affiliated with the AFL-CIO since 2001, represents workers in 750 chapters in school districts and community colleges throughout California. Founded in 1927, the CSEA is the largest union of classified school employees in the country. Classified employees perform a wide range of essential work, including food services, maintenance and operations, transportation, instructional assistance, office and clerical work, security, library and media assistance, computer services and more.
Alabama AFL-CIO Convention Endorses HR 676 Mobile, Alabama. Delegates to the Twenty-Sixth Biennial Convention of the Alabama AFL-CIO endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). In a letter informing the national AFL-CIO of this convention action, Alabama AFL-CIO President D. S. Burkhalter said: This resolution recognizes that the Alabama AFL-CIO is in support of HR 676, Single Payer Universal Health Care. The Alabama state AFL-CIO is the 31st state federation to endorse the Conyers legislation. Why Not Health Care? by Jeff Crosby, Feb 22, 2008 IUE-CWA Local 201 and other IUE-CWA locals struck to defend health care benefits at this Lynn [Mass.] GE plant and across the country. Andy, an IUE-CWA Local 201 member, looked at his pension check from General Electric as he sat in my office at the union hall. The local vice president and the president of the retirees association usually respond to benefit questions like this. But they were both on vacation, and I was struggling to catch up and be of some help. “I got the $40 raise you told us about in December” he told me. “Then in January, I lost it again, plus another $6. What good was it? What happened?” A conference call or two later, and we both knew three things had happened. In December, his pension went up $40. In January, his health care went up $46. So when the dust settled, his pension check dropped by $6. And keep in mind that he is one of the lucky ones: The share of employees offering any group health insurance at all to their retired workers dropped from 66 percent in 1988 to 33 percent in 2007. We fight and fight, but health care costs are killing us. And you can’t bargain your way out of this mess. Understandably, getting the labor movement on the same page on a specific plan to fix health care is no easy task. I can’t even get all the local unions in my labor council to support the same person for school committee! Still, we hope for another chance for health care reform in January 2009 if we do well in the elections this fall. The buzzwords are flying for health care reform: “Secure,” “Affordable,” “Universal” and “Quality.” The “universal” part will peel off a Republican or two. They just think that people make bad health care choices; it’s their fault if have lousy health care. As some mainstream economists would have it, bad choices in the health care market by uneducated consumers are the root of the problem. (Check out a “solution” that targets consumers and providers—and not coincidentally leaves the drug companies and insurers off the hook—as offered by the former head of GE’s medical center in Lynn, Mass., and Newt Gingrich.) There are winners and losers, right? Someone explain that to Andy the next time he drops by the union hall. The problem is this: Practically everyone uses the same words when they talk about reforming health care. What elected official is against “secure, affordable, quality” health care? If you use buzzwords that are that broad, or a list of good principles 70 words long, you leave a lot of wiggle room for the next president and Congress to provide lousy answers under the same umbrella. Principles and buzzwords can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. We have to be very sharp to make an impact. First, we have to identify what we are for—specifically. The best laws, like Kennedy-Dingle that would expand Medicare to those between ages 55-65 and children under 20, and the Conyers single payer bill (H.R. 676) that would overhaul health insurance completely, are included in our AFL-CIO campaign. Even the proposal to expand Medicare has problems, since in its current, increasingly privatized form, Medicare costs themselves are increasing rapidly. The single-payer approach should be upfront—anything short of that we can deal with later, if necessary, as a compromise. Second, we have to take head-on the issue of “government” control of health care. We can expect the right wing and health care profiteers to fund a zillion ads suggesting that some government apparatchik will be snuffling through our medicine cabinet and yanking IV’s from our aunt Ethel—even if we say we are talking about government in a “watchdog” role and not “in control”. The right wing is not moved by fine distinctions, and being on the defensive won’t help us. It’s either the government or the insurance companies and drug companies that make the rules and run health care. And the latter have to get out. I know, people are wary of big government. The problem of rebuilding support for the public sector in general as a campaign for the public good is more than I can go into here, but it’s arguably the key task of the labor movement today. Sure, building trades folks have problems with the city inspectors when they do side jobs. A buddy of mine got screwed by the zoning board when he tried to remodel his garage. It has taken my brother months to figure out the “Aid and Attendance” benefit from the VA for my dad. Nobody wants to pay taxes, and everybody thinks the governor and the mayor (apparently all of the mayors, everywhere) and his buddies are ripping us off. On the other hand, we know that 82 percent of union members want government to do more on health care. So we think conflicting things, side by side. It’s called confusion. The answer to confusion is clarity, even if it takes a while to get there. It is suggested that if we are asked if we support something like the Canadian health care system, we denounce the question as “scare tactics.” Yet even an article by Stanley Greenberg in the American Prospect last June, which is sometimes circulated as a cautionary note on why we have to soft-pedal government’s role in health care reform, says: “A majority goes so far as to say it’s time to establish a Canadian-style health care system.” If a majority of the American people already support it, why should those of us fighting for health care reform not defend it? According to our own research, three times as many people think health care in Sweden is better than ours, as compared to those who think we have a better system than Sweden. Sounds like a rejection of the market-driven health care flop in favor of those Volvo-driving socialists. Give me a chance to argue the guv’mint against the insurance companies and drug companies, and I’ll deliver you the majority every time. In a catastrophic illness, the insurance companies are appreciated. But I fought my insurance company for five months to get them to pay for treatment of my son’s broken collarbone when he fell snow-boarding at Sunday River in Vermont—the last two months because they would not pay for $5 worth of ibuprofen. I fought my insurance company again when they wanted me to pay for my wife’s mammogram out of my own pocket. The hospital gave the insurance company the wrong Social Security number for my wife (even though she used to work there!), and by the time they corrected it, the insurance company said the bill was submitted too late. So the hospital put collection agencies on me. These were high-level negotiations. As in, “Hey, have you ever broken your collarbone? Well, IT HURTS!” People like Andy get a little cranky when William Van Faasen, CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, walks off with $16.4 million in retirement benefits—and then, oops, doesn’t quite retire after all and continues to pull down $3 million a year in salary and bonuses as chairman. And we call BC/BS a “nonprofit”. Quality health care? The American Academy of Dermatology reported you can get an appointment for Botox to get rid of those pesky wrinkles on your face in eight days—but it takes more than three times as long to find someone to evaluate a potentially cancerous mold on the third wrinkle from the left. Free-market health care follows the money. And the insurance companies only want to offer health care to people who don’t need it. Is this some kind of a revelation? The next time your prescription drug “co-pay” creeps up, remember that the drug companies are making three times the profit rate of the average corporation. Still want your co-pay to foot the bill for the 80,000 full-time salesmen who knock on doctors’ doors to offer “incentives” to push the latest pill? Medical “free-market efficiency” has one hand in my pocket and the other on my throat. I don’t need another focus group; I need a Louisville slugger. We’re trying to break out of the “neo-liberal box” of privatization, deregulation and free trade that has been choking us for the last several decades. There is no ducking the argument of government control vs. market-based health care. There’s no shortcut. Health care is not just another commodity. This is a street fight. We can win, even if it’s not in January. And sooner or later, we have to win this one. The support for Single Payer Health Care Continues! TWO STEELWORKER LOCALS ENDORSE HR 676Two more Steelworker (USW) locals have endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). In Pennsylvania, Local 10-1, which represents 700 oil workers at Sunoco's Philadelphia refinery, has unanimously endorsed HR 676, reports Jim Savage, President of Local 10-1. In Rumford, Maine, 800 paper mill workers in USW's Local 900 have also endorsed the Conyers bill. CALIFORNIA FEDERATION OF TEACHERS ENDORSES HR 676 Burbank, California-The Executive Council of the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) has endorsed HR 676, single payer health care legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). Marty Hittelman, CFT President, said after the endorsement: "The CFT has long been a strong supporter of Single Payer Universal Health Care as the civilized foundation for providing quality affordable healthcare to all of the residents of the United States. We believe that families must be healthy so that their children are healthy and that healthy students make for better students. It is especially important to educators that the United States have the highest quality system of providing healthcare. One that is available to all, independent of one's financial standing." The California Federation of Teachers (CFT) is the California affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). The CFT is composed of 135 local unions chartered by the AFT. The CFT represents over 120,000 educational employees working at every level of the education system in California, from Head Start to the University of California. The resolution, approved February 9th, was forwarded to the AFT National Convention. ELEVENTH INTERNATIONAL UNION IFPTE ENDORSES HR 676 Silver Spring, Maryland. The International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers (IFPTE) is the eleventh international union to endorse HR 676, single payer health care legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). "All Americans would win with HR 676," said Gregory Junemann, President of the 75,000 member union. Junemann said, "Chairman Conyers' bill does exactly what the members of IFPTE have asked for, namely to provide for a complete dismantling of our broken healthcare system that has resulted in upwards of 45 million uninsured Americans and replace it with a national single payer system." An IFPTE official announced the union's support for HR 676 at a meeting of the AFL-CIO Healthcare Reform Committee in Washington, DC. At the IFPTE's 55th Convention, the union had "reaffirmed its support for a universal or single-payer health care system." The press release announcing the union's endorsement is at www.ifpte.org. International unions that have endorsed HR 676 are: UAW, NEA, ILWU, NALC, IAM, Plumbers & Pipefitters (UA), Musicians (AFM), UE, CNA/NNOC & SMWIA. IAM, UAW, CWA LOCAL UNIONS ENDORSE HR 676 Unions in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and California have endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI).In Vadnais Heights, Minnesota the Minnesota State Council of Machinists (IAM) endorsed HR 676 . This is the fourth IAM State Council to take this action. In Butler, Pennsylvania, UAW Local 3303 with 1,300 active members and theLocal 3303 Retirees Chapter with 1,600 members have endorsed the Conyers legislation. In Santa Cruz, California, Local 3 of the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE), affiliated with the CWA, has also endorsed HR 676. Rebuilding The Labor Movement Prostrating himself before the rich, manipulating rules of free enterprise to benefit the few at the top, President Bush has bungled America's economy the way he did most of the businesses he managed before taking political office. Now, he's pushing a stimulus package that's essentially hush money -- some cash intended to mollify and silence the middle class.It won't, however, provide immediate help to those most in need -- the poor desperate for a few more food stamps or the unemployed seeking an extension of unemployment compensation -- the very sort of aid that the Congressional Budget Office ranked as more effective than tax rebates for stimulating the economy. In addition, Bush's plan, the one he pushed in his State of the Union address Monday night, won't accomplish any long-term, significant goals for this country. The kind of objectives that President Franklin D. Roosevelt set with his Works Progress Administration. The WPA employed people. They constructed public structures that can still be seen today across America. They added enduring value to this country. The combined effect of employment and construction stimulated the economy. It wasn't a quick fix. But the Congressional Budget Office doesn't believe the tax rebates will be quick, possibly arriving in citizens' hands in July, or necessarily a fix. This, really, is nothing more than a contemptible attempt to repair the deep damage done by 30 years of bad economic policies. The Reagan/Bush economic practices have shredded the social safety nets that were so carefully crafted over the post war progressive era, from FDR's New Deal through the Civil Rights Act and Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty. The worst excesses of the past, those that FDR railed against, those that separated working people from the truly wealthy, have grown exponentially. As the economy sours, as discontent with the treasury-draining war in Iraq rises, and as Americans increasingly lay blame for the country's woes on the failed political policy of catering to corporations, it's time for progressives to develop their own vision for the future. Three objectives should dominate in plans for a new progressive era. First, life should provide a reasonable level of economic security for all. People should be confident that their basic needs will be met, where their next meal will come from, where they will lay their heads at night. Beyond that there should be opportunity -- opportunity to live life more fully, to grow one's talents, to accumulate more of this world's goods, to contribute more to humankind's knowledge and accomplishments. And lastly, there should be an emphasis on quality -- quality in everything we do, we build, we create, we present. The concept of economic security is best expressed by FDR. In 1941, he said the United States looked forward to a world founded on four essential freedoms. They were freedom of speech and to worship, but also freedom from want and from fear. He said freedom from want meant that in peacetime, a nation had an obligation to seek healthy lives for its citizens. This surely means the availability of decent jobs and the existence of a decent minimum wage and minimum level of vacation and benefits. Certainly the right to health care would be part of any civilized definition of freedom from want or economic security. My own experience with the evolution and provision of health care may prove instructive, as I was in Canada during the time the national program developed there. It works marvelously well from the experience of my family. My mother lived in a nursing home for the last ten years of her life, and it cost only the difference between a double room and her single. Three of my four children and their families live under it, and it has been just fine (the fourth lives out of the country). I have been living under it again since returning to Canada after my retirement as president of the Steelworkers and have yet to pay a cent for a covered service, which is virtually everything. It is truly universal. It is paid for out of tax revenue. As a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it is much less expensive than the world's highest percentage of GDP spent on health care in the United States. The U.S. spends $6,102 per person as compared to Canada's $3,165. Yet, the results are measurably better in Canada, where there is greater longevity and lower infant mortality Every advanced country in the world, with the exception only of the U.S., has some version of a public health insurance plan. None is perfect, but what system is? Virtually all have better statistics than the U.S., are less costly, and provide care to everyone. Another critically important element in economic security is a reasonable minimum wage, a priority cruelly neglected in the U.S. The opposition always maintains that raising it will increase unemployment. A few years ago, Allan Kreuger a Princeton economist, and some of his colleagues examined the results of an increase in minimum wage among 330 fast food workers in New Jersey and another 80 plus in Pennsylvania, following an increase in the minimum wage in New Jersey to $5.50 an hour. The study found no evidence that it increased unemployment. A decent minimum should be established, and it should rise automatically with inflation Wages, of course, aren't helpful without job security. In recent years, the outsourcing of jobs through so-called free trade has eroded all employment security in the U.S. So much of what is talked about as free trade really is not trade at all, in the sense of the classical economists. Instead it is nothing more than the outsourcing of jobs to be performed offshore for unbelievably lower wages with the goods or services then shipped back, with a devastating impact on economic security. It is not unusual to see the entire economic base of a community wiped out in this way. Many of these arrangements are with countries that have authoritarian governments, manipulating their unions and controlling wages and conditions, so that anything resembling what the theoreticians describe as free trade in not remotely possible. One cannot have free trade with slave societies. A new progressive era must deal effectively with all these issues. What is needed is to use the leverage of market access to raise wages in the developing countries, so that they may embark on the path, not of being destitute consumers, but of becoming income-earning producers and therefore customers of their own products. Then they can also become customers on the world stage. They can then maintain jobs in the producing countries, not undercutting and destroying them, but rather enabling all countries to become buyers and sellers, to go about looking for new creative ways to be productive. This dynamic cannot be overemphasized. Circumstances such as exist in Nigeria where the delta, rich with oil, provides virtually no benefits to the local population, or in the mineral-rich Congo, where the wealth disappears in corruption, both local and international, greatly exacerbate all the problems and do nothing to relieve any of them. If the citizens of these countries were sharing in the wealth of their own resources, they could be significant customers, making an enormous contribution to the well-being of their own people and of people around the world. What labor seeks is fair trade agreements that include guarantees of human rights, of the right to organize and bargain collectively, that require environmental standards and safety and health standards. If we can protect intellectual property rights in trade agreements, as we do, we can protect human rights and the environment. A new progressive era also requires that the labor movement be rebuilt and restored to its counterbalancing position in our society. The attack on the movement in the private sector over the past 30 years has had destructive results for everybody. It is instructive that the corporations buying up our companies come in many instances from countries where the labor movement's role in economic and social decision making is much more accepted as the way businesses operate. This is true across Europe and in Brazil, where the president of the country is the former president of the Metalworkers Union. There is really only one institution that represents the democratically determined voice of the people in economic matters and that is the labor movement. That is why economies are more balanced, inequality is more contained and pressures to help the less fortunate are more sustained in those societies where there is a vigorous and strong labor movement. Rebuilding the labor movement and, and the same time, ensuring that this country sustains manufacturing jobs will provide opportunities for all Americans that are essential to maintaining a solid middle class. Lastly, in this new progressive era, there is the issue of quality, a word that encompasses a number of ideas. If we are to give our beautiful environment on planet Earth its proper respect, the reckless and wasteful use of resources of all kinds that has been a hallmark of so much of our economy must be significantly modified. This leads directly to the quality of the processes of production, in that use should be made through participative structures of the talents of all who are involved, including the union, and careful attention given to establishing and maintaining safe conditions and protection against occupational disease, For some time now, the wonders of technology have led to speculation that human labor might be reduced, since so much abundance can be produced so efficiently. Still, Americans, living in the richest country on the face of the globe, have until recently worked the longest hours. Maybe now the congruence of such challenging developments as the potential destruction of our environment, the toxicity of some resources, and the shortage of others will motivate our society to look in some new and higher quality directions for the joys and satisfactions of life. One can imagine a new flourishing of mankind's artistic, scientific and athletic talents, given the combination of basic security, fine educational opportunities and experiences, and the emphasis on quality envisaged in this new progressive agenda. These are the areas in which our restless and competitive energies should be focused, not in warfare with each other, not in the exploitation of the weakest by the strongest, but in the leadership of the strongest in building a new global era worthy of the best of humankind's gifts and talents. Labor council hosts screening of documentary film ‘Sicko’ By David Liscio / The Daily Item LYNN - Hoping to call attention to the national crisis in health care, the North Shore Labor Council will present a public screening of “Sicko”, the controversial film by writer/producer Michael Moore. During the film, Moore interviews Americans who have been denied treatment by U.S. health care insurance companies n businesses that he alleges sacrifice essential health services in order to maximize profits. According to Moore, the consequences for the individual insurance subscribers range from bankruptcy to the unnecessary deaths of loved ones. The film also takes a comprehensive look at universal free health care systems in Canada, France, Britain, and Cuba, attempting to debunk fears about lower quality of care, poorer compensation for doctors and big-government bureaucracy. Insurance companies often use these concerns to dissuade Americans from establishing such a system in the U.S. “The roots of those health care systems are explored, and our failure to establish free health care here is traced to President Richard Nixon’s deceptive support of the then-emerging HMOs (health maintenance organizations),” said Tony Dunn, a labor council spokesman, adding that the HMOs were interested in pursuing huge profits and subsequently pressured Congress to sacrifice sound health care in favor of corporate profit. To make his point, Moore focused on a group of Americans who became ill from volunteering at Ground Zero in New York City after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. These citizens were refused health coverage for their illnesses, so Moore ferried them to Cuba, where they received free, top-rate medical care. Through interviews, historical reportage, and with his typical sarcastic wit, Moore condemns American health insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies, as well as the politicians who have been paid millions to do their bidding. * “He makes the case that there is something wrong with Americans that we cannot learn from the successes of other countries in providing better quality-of-health than we enjoy in the USA,” said Dunn. The free screening will be held Wednesday, March 5, in the IUE/CWA Local 201 building at 112 Exchange St. “Join us for SICKO and talk about labor’s fight for healthcare in the 2008 elections,” Dunn said. Doors open at 6 p.m. The showing is scheduled to conclude at 8:30 p.m. For more information, contact Rosa Blumenfeld at the labor council, 781-595-2538 or send an email to northshorelaborcouncil-@gmail.com. AFT, ILWU, & AFSCME UNIONS IN THREE STATES ENDORSE HR 676 In Edison, New Jersey, the New Jersey State Federation of Teachers (AFT) has endorsed HR 676, the national single payer health care bill introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D. MI). In Portland, Oregon, Local 5 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), the ILWU Oregon Area District Council, and Portland Jobs with Justice (JwJ) have all endorsed HR 676, reports Britta Duncan, ILWU Local 5 Secretary Treasurer and JwJ Co-Chair. In Baltimore, Maryland, AFSCME Local 1535 endorsed HR 676. Dave Harding, President of Local 1535, was one of nine Maryland labor leaders who signed a recent letter sent to all Maryland local unions requesting their endorsement of HR 676. THREE AFT FACULTY UNIONS ENDORSE HR 676 College faculty unions in three states have endorsed HR 676, legislation that would institute a single payer system in the U.S. introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). In Anchorage, Alaska,
the Representative Assembly of Local 4996, United Academics-AAUP/AFT,
endorsed HR 676 reports local President Carl Shepro. In New York, Local 3998, Long Island University Faculty Federation, NYSUT/AFT, has also endorsed HR 676 reports local President Ed Donahue. In Philadelphia, AFT Local 2026 endorsed HR 676. Local 2026 represents 1,300 faculty and staff at the Community College of Philadelphia. Local 2026 Co-presidents, John Braxton and Karen Schermerhorn, said after the vote, “Health insurance was the single largest issue in our bargaining for our contract last year. We came away with our health benefits largely intact, but we know it will be even harder next time to negotiate a contract without health insurance take-aways. This country needs to catch up with the rest of the industrialized world and treat health insurance as a benefit that all citizens deserve, and take the responsibility away from individual employers and individual unions.” CALIFORNIA AFL-CIO ENDORSES HR 676 Oakland, California. The Executive Council of the
California AFL-CIO has Rose Ann DeMoro, Executive Director of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC), introduced the endorsement resolution shortly after being elected to the Executive Council of the state federation. The CNA/NNOC has set up a website at http://www.GuaranteedHealthcare.org. California is the 32nd state AFL-CIO to endorse HR 676. FOUR UNIONS IN THREE STATES ENDORSE HR 676 In Charleston, South Carolina, Local 502, Coastal Carolina Association of Professional Musicians (AFM) endorsed HR 676, single payer health care legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). Tom Joyce, Local 502 Secretary-Treasurer said, “Local 502 AFM recognizes the need for health care reform in the U.S., and HR 676 is the best option to move this reform forward.” In El Segundo, California, the Executive Board of
Transport Workers Union In Louisville, Kentucky, Allen Harris, President of Branch 14 of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), reports the union endorsed HR 676 and sent letters to all six Kentucky congressmen and one in nearby Indiana informing them of the local’s action. In
San Francisco, California, the Sailors’ Union of the Pacific endorsed
HR 676, reports Dave Connolly. The union, in continuous operation for
over 121 years, dates back to March 6, 1885 when the Coast Seamen’s
Union was organized by sailors on the San Francisco waterfront. HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system in the U.S. by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to every resident. HR 676 would cover every person in the U. S. for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care, chiropractic and long term care. HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs. HR 676 currently has 87 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers. Co-sponsors and bill text are here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.00676: HR 676 has been endorsed by 353 union organizations in
48 states including For further information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample endorsement resolution, contact: Kay Tillow INDIANA STATE AFL-CIO ENDORSES HR 676 At its December convention, the Indiana AFL-CIO became the 30th state federation to endorse HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-Michigan). The Indiana AFL-CIO represents 320,000 union members and retirees.
COLORADO STATE AFL-CIO ENDORSES HR 676 Denver, Colorado. The Colorado AFL-CIO has become the
29th state labor HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system in the U.S. by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to every resident. HR 676 would cover every person in the U. S. for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care, chiropractic and long term care. HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industr Maine Postal Workers Endorse Kansas AFL Joins in Supporting H.R. 676 -- 28th State AFL-CIO (See Story) John Sweeney, Meet Rose Ann DeMoro --Single payer debate
SEE ALL BELOW: HUNDREDS OF UNION ENDORSEMENTS OF H.R.676 (SINGLE PAYER)BELOW Resolutions endorsing HR 676, Universal Single Payer Health Care, have been passed by the following unions and labor organizations. Scroll here to see if your union is on board; see note below the list to see how to get onboard. Labor Endorsers of HR 676, Universal Single Payer Health Care State Federations of Labor •
Arizona AFL-CIO
Colorado AFL-CIO Kansas
AFL-CIO National and International Labor Organizations •
Phillip Randolph Institute, Detroit, MI State, Regional, and Local Labor Organizations •
Albany Central Federation of Labor, Albany, NY Maine Postal
Workers MAINE POSTAL WORKERS ENDORSE HR 676, 12/6/07 Portland, Maine. The 650 members of APWU Local 458 have
voted to endorse Peggy Bogart, Secretary of Local 458, reports that the local is working with the state AFL-CIO and the Southern Maine Labor Council “…to reach our members individually to educate and arm them with information on this bill.” Bogart continued: “The current system leaves too many behind and is in crisis. It has hurt too many hardworking decent people who are guilty of nothing but getting sick or injured. It’s time to throw it out and start over with a healthcare system that is ALL about people and NOT about profit. Healthcare security for all Americans is long overdue in this country and HR 676 is the fix. Now we have…to fight for the good of the country, and on behalf of all Americans, and there is no doubt that APWU Local 458 members will stand tall….”
AFT, New York State United Teachers, IAM, Ohio, Public Service Workers of United Electrical Workers all support H.R. 676. Local unions and union state councils continue to endorse HR 676, single payer legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). In New York, AFT Local 3517, New York State United Teachers, has voted to support HR 676, reports Dr. Ralph Knopf, the local’s president. The local represents faculty members at C.W. Post Collegial Federation, Long Island University. Local 3517 is the 7th AFT local to endorse HR 676. In
Ohio, the IAM State Council has also voted to endorse HR 676, reports
IAM activist Toni McBroom. This action by the IAM Ohio State Council,
McBroom said, means: “Now every machinist member in the entire state of
Ohio will be fighting for HR 676, universal single payer healthcare for
all. We care about this bill because we care about people’s lives.” In Virginia, Public Service Workers Union Local 160 of the United Electrical Workers (UE) has also voted to endorse HR 676. The endorsement resolution states: “Polls consistently show that citizens overwhelmingly favor some sort of national health care…. A single payer health care program is reasonable, feasible and popular; what stands between us and its achievement is our lack of organization and politicians willing to stand up to the insurance industry. Let us mobilize our members and allies to claim this basic human right.”
NORTHWEST LABOR SUPPORTS HR 676 In Washington and Oregon, unions and organizations supporting labor have endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). In Seattle, Lee Russell, Political Action Committee Chairperson of Local 699, Sprinkler Fitters and Apprentices of the United Association (UA), reports that the 699PAC, “fully endorses …efforts to restore sanity to healthcare, and endorses HR 676.” The PAC committee is sending a letter “to our entire membership, and have posted information on our website http://699pac.blogspot.com/.” In Portland, American Federation of Teachers Local 2277
has endorsed
HR 676. Michael Dembrow, the local’s president, said after the
endorsement, “People…are falling through coverage gaps every minute of
every day, including many of the part-time members of my profession,
college faculty. In Ashland, Oregon, the Southern Oregon Jobs with
Justice (JwJ) has
also endorsed HR 676. Wes Bain, Chair of the four county JwJ said,
“Most of the so-called reform legislation being talked about in…Oregon
or nationally is fatally flawed because it includes insurance
companies. HR HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system in the U.S. by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to every resident. HR 676 would cover every person in the U. S. for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care, chiropractic and long term care. HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs. HR 676 currently has 85 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers. Co-sponsors and bill text are here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.00676: HR 676 has been endorsed by 334 union organizations in
48 states including For further information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample endorsement resolution, contact: Kay Tillow -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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LABOR COUNCILS IN FOUR STATES ENDORSE HR 676--TOTAL NOW 93 Central Labor Councils in four states have passed
resolutions endorsing HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation
introduced by Congressman John
57,000 Member Union Supports HR 676, Single Payer Healthcare Albany, New York. The annual convention of the New York State Public Employees Federation, AFL-CIO, has voted to support HR 676 and make it part of their Federal Legislative Agenda. The union represents 57,000 professional, scientific and technical employees and is the second largest New York state employees' union. It is jointly affiliated to both AFT and SEIU.
HR
676 would institute a single payer health care system in the U.S. by
expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to every resident.HR 676
would cover every person in the U. S. for all necessary medical care
including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services,
primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health,
home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance
abuse), vision care, chiropractic and long term care. HR 676 ends
deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save billions annually by
eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health
insurance HR 676 currently has 85 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers. Co-sponsors and bill text are here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.00676:
For further information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample endorsement resolution, contact: Kay Tillow
OREGON IS 25th STATE AFL-CIO TO ENDORSE HR 676 Seaside, Oregon. The Oregon AFL-CIO is the 25th state AFL-CIO federation to endorse HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). The HR 676 resolution was passed at the state’s convention which met here Oct. 8-10. The Oregon AFL-CIO resolution states: “…(T)here is ample evidence that a competitive free-market approach to solving America’s healthcare crisis does not lower costs, improve access or guarantee high quality care and that the primary beneficiaries of such an approach have proven to be pharmaceutical companies, equipment manufacturers, insurance carriers, providers and others who reap significant profits….” The resolution continues, “…(T)he fundamental principal of the labor movement--that fragmentation leads to weakness while solidarity leads to strength--is a powerful tool that can be applied to create a consolidated, single payer American healthcare system.” AFT Local 2277, which represents two thousand full and
part-time faculty and non-teaching academic professionals at Portland
Community College, submitted the HR 676 resolution.
Boston Jobs with Justice (JwJ) Urges Local Unions to Endorse HR 676 Boston, Massachusetts. The
Labor and Healthcare Committee of Boston Jobs The letter was signed by eight labor leaders and the Executive Director of Massachusetts JwJ. Signers include Myles Calvey, Business Manager, IBEW Local 2222; Beth Piknick, President of the Massachusetts Nurses Association; Mike Grunko, President, SEIU Local 509; Willie Desnoyers, Chairman, UAW Massachusetts CAP Council; Peter Knowlton, President, UE District 2; Ron Patenaude, President, UAW Local 2322; Jeff Crosby, President, IUE/CWA Local 201; Jon Weissman, President Emeritus, NALC Branch 46; and Russ Davis, JwJ Executive Director. Two local unions, the 15,000 member UFCW Local 1445 in Dedham and Carpenters Local 40 (UBC) in Cambridge, have already responded to the letter with endorsements of HR 676. Local 1445 is the first UFCW local to endorse HR 676.
Texas
State Building and Construction Trades Council Endorses HR 676 Alliance for Retired Americans
(ARA) Reaffirms Endorsement of HR 676
IOWA AFL-CIO announces support for H.R. 676. Dennis Kucinich announced at the IOWA presidential debate today that the IOWA AFL-CIO has endorsed H.R. 676, single payer, guaranteed healthcare for all. 8/19/07
Texas AFL-CIO is 21st State Federation to Endorse HR 676 Meeting in statewide convention in Corpus Christi in early August, the Texas AFL-CIO endorsed HR 676, national single payer health care legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). Texas is the 21st state AFL-CIO federation to endorse this bill. At least two resolutions calling for the endorsement of HR 676 were submitted. One came from the San Antonio CLC and another from Alliance/AFT Local 2260 in Dallas. The Resolutions Committee combined both into Resolution #15 that endorses HR 676, “Expanded and Improved Medicare for All.” The approved resolution says that the Texas AFL-CIO “…will work to educate our other union locals and community on the importance of this legislation” and will send copies of the resolution for HR 676 to the Texas congressional delegation and the National AFL-CIO.
San Antonio Central Labor Council I am pleased to tell you that the San Antonio Central Labor Council wholeheartedly passed a resolution in support of H.R. 676 and a state bill that would give RNs protection to advocate for their patients. These resolutions will go on to the state AFL-CIO convention next month for consideration by the larger labor council. NNOC, my brother (TSEU) who is a delegate to the CLC and myself worked together to make this happen! En Solidaridad, Pancho
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Healthcare Workers West "STRONGLY" Supports HR 676 SEIU United Healthcare Workers West "Strongly" Supports HR 676 Oakland, California. The 140,000 member United Healthcare Workers West, an affiliate of SEIU, has endorsed HR 676, legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) which would implement a single payer healthcare system in the U.S. In a letter to Conyers' office announcing the endorsement, Richard Thomason, Policy Director for the union, expressed the union's "strong support for HR 676" and went on to state: "Like every other industrialized nation, the United States should provide health security for its residents as a matter of basic human dignity. Your legislation would accomplish that critically important goal. "Our
local represents 140,000 caregivers who work in hospitals, clinics,
nursing homes and homecare programs across California. Every day our
member see the harmful consequences of being uninsured among their
family members and the people they care for on the job. United Healthcare Workers West is the second largest local in the SEIU. The largest, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East has also endorsed HR 676 along with Local 73 in Chicago and Pennsylvania locals 668 and 1199P. #30# HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system in the U.S. by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to every resident. HR 676 would cover every person in the U. S. for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care, chiropractic and long term care. HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs. HR 676 currently has 75 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers. Co-sponsors and bill text are here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.00676
American Federation of Musicians passes resolution At the recent 97th International Convention of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM), held in Las Vegas , June 18 - 20, 2007, amended this resolution which was adopted. See Resolution
Review of Michael Moore’s New
Film,”SiCKO” By USW International President Leo W. Gerard Michael Moore, the activist author and filmmaker, has given every union member in the United States a great tool of advocacy for our health care agenda with his new movie, “SiCKO.” We should return that favor by attending the premiere of his movie June 29. Wear your USW gold and blue when you go. With a compelling combination of humor and pathos, “SiCKO” documents how medical insurance companies act like cancer on this country’s health care system. This is what we want to eliminate with a national health care system. Moore begins “SiCKO” by subjecting his viewers to excruciatingly painful insurance system failure scenes. They include an injured worker suturing up his own lacerated knee because he is one of the 47 million Americans without health insurance; a couple moving into a spare room in their daughter’s home after medical insurance co-payments for the husband’s three heart attacks and the wife’s cancer forced them into bankruptcy, the most common cause for personal bankruptcy today; and a young woman recounting the death of her 18-month-old baby because an ambulance took the critically ill girl to a hospital that refused to treat her because her insurance would not pay for services there. Those disquieting scenes are thankfully interspersed with Moore’s often-comical antics in four countries with national health care: Canada, Britain, France and Cuba. In Canada, he tools around in a golf cart with a conservative, who endorses the country’s national system of medicine and describes its creator, Tommy C. Douglas, as a Canadian hero, akin to George Washington or Abe Lincoln. How could a conservative
support socialized medicine, Moore asks the man. On his trip to Britain to investigate their national health care system, begun after World War II, Michael Moore searches a hospital for some department that will bill a patient. Finally, after numerous workers laugh at him, Moore discovers a cashier’s window. It turns out, however, money is dispensed from the window to patients, reimbursing them for public transit to the hospital. Moore reports that his research shows that Canadian, British and French citizens live longer, healthier lives than Americans, and their infants are more likely to survive. The overhead costs for these health care systems are far less than America’s. In fact, the overhead for the one, already national system in America, Medicare, is 3 percent. It’s 30 percent for the insurance system. Apparently, Moore says, the government can do something right. Moore ends up in Cuba after trying to take some American patients, including two 9-11 first responders who suffered lung injuries, to Guantanamo Bay to get some of that free health care American is dispensing to accused al Qaida war criminals imprisoned there. After being refused entrance to the American portion of the island, Moore takes his patients to a Cuban hospital which provided free treatment to the foreigners, under the same procedures and circumstances that it gives care to Cuban citizens. The idea, again, was that medical treatment is a right of all humans, regardless of nationality, or religion or politics. A Cuban firehouse conducted a ceremony to honor the first responders before they left because, the firemen said, they were all brothers and sisters. The Cubans said they wished they could have aided with the rescue on 9-11. This kind of solidarity is essential for us to win a better health care system. The film advocates radical surgery on the American system to excise the insurance companies, which profit by denying coverage, treatments and pharmaceuticals, and by rescinding payments once made. Michael Moore argues in “SiCKO” that this is not representative of American behavior. We show solidarity in crises. We rush to aid each other when there’s a tornado, a Katrina, a Virginia Tech. We bring food, build houses, give blood and clothes. We are generous. We are not the people of a stingy health care |
