Greater Boston Labor Council Calls for Public Option Health Care

BOSTON/Government Center - At noon on Thursday July 23 the sounds of downtown traffic were joined by the rallying shouts of the Greater Boston Labor Council (GBLC) and its community allies outside the offices of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans. Members of the North Shore Labor Council the Service Employees International Union State Council the American Federation of Teachers of Massachusetts and Jobs with Justice joined the GBLC to demonstrate in support of health care reform. The group of about three hundred union workers and supporters were there to draw the public’s attention to demands for a public option in health care financing that also does not tax benefits. Spirits were high as the demonstrators marched up and down the corner of Court and Cambridge streets. Members of the various labor organizations held signs displaying slogans demanding affordable health care as they chanted in support of a public option. “I’m here today with a bunch of other organizations and unions to really draw attention to the fact that insurance companies are opposing a strong health care reform that will save tax payers money and provide better more affordable health insurance for millions of Americans across the country ” said Chris Condon the political director of the SEIU State Council. “Last November the vast majority of Americans voted for change and reform. It’s the insurance companies that are really standing in the way of the change that we voted for.” As the Congressional debate over reform becomes increasingly heated workers in the Boston area are reminding their communities of the changes they hope to see in the nation’s health care policies. The demonstrators emphasized they support President Obama’s push for a government-funded option as competition for private medical insurers. Robert Haynes president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO addressed the crowd about his frustration with attempts to over-politicize the health care issue. He said he was particularly irritated by South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint’s recent remark that the reform debate could ultimately result in Obama’s “Waterloo.” Said Haynes: “There is some real opposition in Congress. Some are trying to create a big political issue in order to take down the president when the issue should be about working families and their health care. We are the only industrialized country in the world that doesn’t have universal health care. It’s time for us to stand up and make that fight.” Denise Clark a health care worker at Lynn Community Health Center addressed the gathering and said “enough is enough. I’m a union worker and I represent over 200 union workers at our clinic who can’t afford their premiums as it is. To have to pay taxes on top of that… they might as well be working for free.” The workers’ support for President Obama’s reform plan does not come without concern for funding – the health care overhaul is estimated to cost around $1 trillion. With such a high price tag comes the threat of increased taxes for working and middle class families. The solution proposed by many of the speakers at Thursday’s rally is to place greater accountability on businesses and employers to cover the extra costs. According to Bob Haynes “The business community has been let off too lightly. We want to make sure there’s a public option that works for working people we don’t want the health care benefits of hard working people to be taxed. We need to ensure that the employers pay their fair share.” To aid in financing the health care reform union activists want to see salary and benefit cuts for upper management employees of major insurance companies. Many believe that insurers are receiving excess profits that could be better used to fund Obama's health care plan. It is precisely this concern that brought the demonstration to the front doors of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans. Said GBLC Executive-Secretary Treasurer Rich Rogers: "These insurers are fighting to protect the status quo...and the obscene salary and benefit packages of their executives. It is amazing that these alleged free market champions are petrified of the public option." The Massachusetts Association of Health Plans did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday’s rally but the workers in attendance expressed hope that their presence made some impact. “All these union workers have come out here to be heard ” said Denise Clark. “Hopefully someone’s looking out the window up there seeing what’s going on down below.” Now that the vote on health reform has been delayed until after Congress take its August recess the GBLC and its allies plan to take advantage of this time to spread awareness of their concerns. The rallying workers and their supporters said that until the bill is passed they will continue to demonstrate their wishes for a health care reform that works for American working families. Web resources: Greater Boston Labor Council Massachusetts Association of Health Plans Photos by Elizabeth Washburn. All Photos Copyright Elizabeth Washburn 2009. Bookmark/Search this post with: Delicious Digg StumbleUpon Reddit Newsvine Facebook Google Yahoo Technorati