Health Care

Health care is a basic human right.  America’s labor movement has worked for more than a century for guaranteed high-quality health care for everyone.  The Affordable Care Act is a historic milestone on this journey, but we still have a long way to go.

America must continue moving forward toward a more equitable and cost-effective health care system. Moving forward means working with employers to demand health care payment and delivery reforms to control costs, allowing people of all ages to buy into the equivalent of Medicare through a public plan option and allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices.  Of course, the most cost-effective and equitable way to provide quality health care is through the social insurance model (“Medicare for All”), as other industrialized countries have shown. 

The worst thing we could do is move backward by repealing the Affordable Care Act or its key provisions; privatizing Medicare or turning it into a voucher program; raising the Medicare eligibility age; increasing Medicare co-pays and deductibles or otherwise cutting Medicare benefits; or taxing employment-based health care benefits. 

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Mar 24

Friday, March 24, 11:30AM-1PM: Please join us for the commemoration of the 112th anniversary of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, one of the pivotal events in US history and a turning point in labor’s struggle to achieve fair wages, dignity at work and safe working conditions.

Mar 17, 2023 | News Story

After weeks of bargaining and organizing in the streets to make their voices heard, 32BJ SEIU and the Bronx Realty Advisory Board this week reached a tentative agreement that achieves wins for the union's membership.

Mar 17, 2023 | News Story

Actors’ Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers in live theatre, is part of the call to invest in New York State’s arts industries. Assembly Member Daniel J. O’Donnell and Senator José M.

Mar 10, 2023 | News Story

New York is a union town and Saturday Night Live is built with union labor. But NBC Universal has resisted negotiating a fair union contract with its newly organized editorial crew.

Mar 10, 2023 | News Story

After more than a year of bargaining, the union membership of the Whitney Museum Union of Local 2110 UAW have voted overwhelmingly to ratify their first union contract with the Museum.

Mar 10, 2023 | News Story

President Biden unveiled his new federal budget yesterday, building on his commitment to fostering an economy that focuses on putting working families first.

Mar 10, 2023 | News Story

We join Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) and Reps. Bobby Scott (Va.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) in their call to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. Working people are sick of corporations raking in record profits while we can barely support our families.

Mar 3, 2023 | News Story

With their union contract set to expire the next day, almost 500 CUNY faculty and staff rallied outside CUNY’s Midtown headquarters Monday morning to take their demands for a new contract straight to management’s front door.

Mar 3, 2023 | News Story

Arbitrator Howard Edelman this week handed down a decision that stops New York City Transit from carrying out the Spring A Division Pick, taking plans for service cuts off the table for now.

Mar 3, 2023 | News Story

NYSNA Health+Hospitals/Mayorals nurses held a system-wide day of action including a rally and speakout along with candlelight vigils yesterday to mark the expiration of their contract at 11 city-run hospitals.