The Chicago Chapter of Jobs with Justice has endorsed HR 676, national single payer legislation sponsored by Congressman John Conyers of Michigan.  HR 676 is also called “Expanded and Improved Medicare for All.”

Susan Hurley, Executive Director of Chicago Jobs with Justice, commented on the resolution, “Single payer health care has to be our ultimate goal in the United States.  It is the only humane and civilized choice, as well as being the best choice for health outcomes and cost.”

“The longer the delay, the deeper our shame in the eyes of the world and future generations,” Hurley stated.

The resolution notes that an estimated 31 million Americans will remain uninsured in 2023 and that underinsurance is growing as many patients are forced into insurance plans with high-deductibles (> $1,000) and narrow networks of providers.

Chicago Jobs with Justice, a broad coalition of scores of unions and other organizations including the Chicago Federation of Labor, is dedicated to promoting workers’ rights and social and economic justice.

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HR 676 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 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 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 and HMOs.

In the current Congress, HR 676 has 58 co-sponsors in addition to Congressman Conyers.

HR 676 has been endorsed by 614 union organizations including 147 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 & NM).

For further information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample
endorsement resolution, contact:

Kay Tillow
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@aol.com
http://unionsforsinglepayer.org
6/23/14

Series of protest actions on 5 June 2014 marked the 1st month of the illegal dismissal of 24 union officers in NXP Cabuyao.

A picket protest in the morning in front of the main office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) served as the kick-off activity. Various organizations expressed support to the NXP fight. Representative Fernando Hicap, Anakpawis Partylist Representative, also came and spoke at the rally. Rep. Hicap said he has already filed in the House of Representatives an investigation in aid of legislation with regard to NXP workers’ issues.

Read the full report, with photos, here.

by Ian Richards
President of the Coordinating Committee of International Staff Unions and Associations
Vice-President of the United Nations Staff-Management Committee

It gives me great pleasure to inform you that the campaign by UN unions to restore the recognition rights of UN staff has secured a successful outcome.

On behalf of the unions of the United Nations, I would like to thank you, LabourStart and your 14,000 members who sent emails to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for their fantastic support during the campaign. Your efforts helped persuade the Secretary-General and his team that the UN should live up to its principles on human rights and labour representation.

We know that management only came back to the table because unions, organizations and working people around the world were united in their anger at the way the Secretary-General withdrew trade union recognition last June.

The Secretary-General has agreed a new negotiating system that significantly improves on the UN Staff Management Committee (SMC) rules that applied previously.

Most importantly, the right of unions to represent UN staff has been restored, bringing to an end the crisis in staff-management relations caused when the Secretary-General’s representatives walked out of SMC.

This unilateral action by management left us unable to negotiate over crucial system-wide issues such as mobility policy, safety and security in the field, protection for whistle-blowers and rights for dependents of UN staff killed and injured in service.

Highlights of the new negotiating system include:
Increased regular contact on system-wide issues with formal meetings every three months, meaning pressing items can no longer be kicked into the long grass
If the Secretary-General doesn’t agree an SMC recommendation, or agrees but doesn’t implement, the issue will automatically come back to the table within strict time limits, leading to swift renegotiation
Where there is clear disagreement, we’ve regained the right to mediation as before, with a third-party mediator appointed from an agreed roster and a strict timetable for resolution
If an issue has to go to the General Assembly, management will share the draft Secretary-General report with staff, allowing us to intervene before any decision is made.
Results of SMC meetings will be communicated to all staff with a status report showing items ‘Agreed,’ ‘Not Agreed,’ or ‘Pending’.

The agreement represents a major success for UN staff and unions and for our friends in the wider union movement. It would not have been achieved without your support to our ‘UN UNION RIGHTS’ campaign, the personal testimonies of staff, and media coverage in the New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian and other newspapers internationally.

We have made new friends across the world and raised awareness of the issues we deal with every day. These gains have strengthened the position of the UN’s unions for the challenges ahead and you played a key role in this.

Thank you again.