From editor at unionsforsinglepayerhealthcare.org Tue Dec 6 21:56:44 2016 From: editor at unionsforsinglepayerhealthcare.org (Single Payer News) Date: Tue, 06 Dec 2016 21:56:44 -0500 Subject: Video of APWU Pres. Mark Dimondstein Speaking for Single Payer, Medicare for All Message-ID: <79b9de1b43a0db3458824dee6791d9a2@localhost> Mark Dimondstein, President of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) [1], was a featured speaker at a rally November 18th outside the headquarters of Big PHARMA in Washington, DC. Dimondstein was cheered when he said "The people of this country are ready for a Medicare-for-All, single payer system." Watch Dimondstein's 5 minute speech here [2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl0LPvvCzcQ">Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) [4], an organization of over 20,000 physicians that advocates removing the profits from health care and instituting a publicly-funded improved Medicare for All system. A large contingent of medical students enlivened the protest leading chants and songs. Members of the APWU joined in the protest. The APWU [5] represents more than 200,000 USPS employees and retirees, and nearly 2,000 private-sector mail workers. Distributed by: Kay Tillow All Unions Committee for Single Payer Health Care--HR 676 [6] c/o Nurses Professional Organization (NPO) 1169 Eastern Parkway, Suite 2218 Louisville, KY 40217 (502) 636 1551 Email: nursenpo at aol.com [7] http://unionsforsinglepayer.org [8] https://www.facebook.com/unionsforsinglepayer [9] HR 676 [10] would institute a single payer health care system by expanding a greatly improved Medicare to everyone residing in the U. S. Patients will choose their own physicians and hospitals. HR 676 [11] would cover every person for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental (including oral surgery, periodontics, endodontics), mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care and correction, hearing services including hearing aids, chiropractic, durable medical equipment, palliative care, podiatric care, and long term care. HR 676 [12] ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save hundreds of billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry. In the current Congress, HR 676 has 62 co-sponsors [13] in addition to Congressman Conyers. HR 676 has been endorsed by 624 union organizations [14] including 151 Central Labor Councils/Area Labor Federations and 44 state AFL-CIO's (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO, MN, ME, AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ, TN, OR, GA, OK, KS, CO, IN, AL, CA, AK, MI, MT, NE, NJ, NY, NV, MA, RI, NH, ID). The list of union endorsers [15]. The sample endorsement resolution [16]. 12/06/16 Links: ------ [1] http://www.apwu.org/ [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl0LPvvCzcQ&feature=youtu.be [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl0LPvvCzcQ&feature=youtu.be [4] http://www.pnhp.org/ [5] http://www.apwu.org/ [6] http://unionsforsinglepayer.org/ [7] mailto:nursenpo at aol.com [8] http://unionsforsinglepayer.org/ [9] https://www.facebook.com/unionsforsinglepayer [10] https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/676/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22%5C%22hr676%5C%22%22%5D%7D&resultIndex=1 [11] https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/676/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22%5C%22hr676%5C%22%22%5D%7D&resultIndex=1 [12] https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/676/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22%5C%22hr676%5C%22%22%5D%7D&resultIndex=1 [13] https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/676/cosponsors?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22%5C%22hr676%5C%22%22%5D%7D&resultIndex=1 [14] http://unionsforsinglepayer.org/union_endorsers [15] http://unionsforsinglepayer.org/union_endorsers [16] http://unionsforsinglepayer.org/tools/sample_resolution -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: DSCN3907.JPG Type: image/jpeg Size: 753565 bytes Desc: not available URL: From editor at unionsforsinglepayerhealthcare.org Sun Dec 11 23:54:20 2016 From: editor at unionsforsinglepayerhealthcare.org (Single Payer News) Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2016 23:54:20 -0500 Subject: Video of IUE-CWA Local on strike to preserve health care and pensions Message-ID: <5f8237cacdc0383fd7530abd39d64f4e@localhost> Check out this brief video produced by the NY State AFL-CIO and do what you can to support this just struggle. https://youtu.be/_k8b9A8qjOY [1] https://www.facebook.com/events/209168506158478/ [2] _(For those in the Albany, NY area, you can attend a Rally at the plant gate, 260 Hudson River Rd, Waterford, NY 12188, this Tuesday, Dec. 13th at 5:30 PM, followed by a 6 pm march to Chrome at 405 Hudson River Rd. and an indoor rally, 6:30-8:30 pm. Further info on how you can help is here: http://momentiveworkers.com/ [3].) _ THE FOLLOWING NOTE WAS SENT TO US BY DR. ANDY COATES WHO PRACTICES MEDICINE IN THE ALBANY, NY AREA WHERE THIS STRIKE IS TAKING PLACE. COATES IS A FORMER EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES FEDERATION (PEF) A JOINT AFFILIATE OF AFSCME/SEIU AND PAST PRESIDENT OF . Just north of where the Mohawk River joins the Hudson, in upstate New York, the highly skilled members of IUE/CWA Local 81359, have been on strike since the beginning of November. A chemical plant, once owned by General Electric, today Momentive Performance Materials, would like to drive workers back to a minimum wage with no benefits. The IUE/CWA local endured setbacks in two recent contracts and this time has said NO MORE. One important issue is the right to retire at age 60--with health benefits. The company wants to eliminate retiree health benefits altogether. This would make retirement unaffordable. The workers at the plant live with a high risk of illness due to occupational exposure to dangerous chemicals. Health benefits to augment Medicare and health benefits to bridge to Medicare for those under 65 were won in previous union struggle. The Momentive Company wants to tear this up and move on, leaving the workers flat, with no retirement health benefits. Workers at the Momentive plant had access to a "PPO" plan, a "preferred provider" scheme with an ability to choose your doctor. Now the company demands a high deductible plan, starting at $3,500 for an individual. Workers in the local recognize this as an unaffordable trap, with further restrictions in the fine print threatening care. Defined retirement benefits were taken away with the 2013 give-back contract. New workers have been put into a 401k scheme since. Now Momentive proposes to reduce its contribution to the young workers' retirement, with the aim of deserting the company's obligation to workers' retirement altogether. Here are remarkably unified, conscious and energetic local union people we should be proud to know - and everyone should know them! Solidarity! Andy PS If we had a single payer health care system, access to necessary health care would not be an issue of collective bargaining. Distributed by: All Unions Committee for Single Payer Health Care--HR 676 c/o Nurses Professional Organization (NPO) 1169 Eastern Parkway, Suite 2218 Louisville, KY 40217 (502) 636 1551 Email: nursenpo at aol.com [4] http://unionsforsinglepayer.org [5] https://www.facebook.com/unionsforsinglepayer [6] The list of union endorsers of HR 676 [7]. The sample endorsement resolution [8]. 12/11/16 Links: ------ [1] https://youtu.be/_k8b9A8qjOY [2] https://www.facebook.com/events/209168506158478/ [3] http://momentiveworkers.com/%C2%A0 [4] mailto:nursenpo at aol.com [5] http://unionsforsinglepayer.org [6] https://www.facebook.com/unionsforsinglepayer [7] http://unionsforsinglepayer.org/union_endorsers [8] http://unionsforsinglepayer.org/tools/sample_resolution -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: