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. 

More about this issue:

Jun 17, 2022 | News Story

This week, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and Microsoft announced they have entered into a ground-breaking labor neutrality agreement, the first of its kind in the technology industry.

Jun 17, 2022 | News Story

Members of Steamfitters Local 638, Sheet Metal Workers Local 28, Laborers Local 79, IBEW Local 3, Plumbers Local 1 and supporters are calling on legendary actor and native son of New York, Robert De Niro to ensure that the men and women working on the outside of the new $600 million-dollar, state

Jun 17, 2022 | News Story

Over 100 ALAA-UAW Local 2325 members at Queens Defenders, accompanied by their union siblings from The Legal Aid Society, New York Legal Assistance Group, and 1199SEIU, rallied for an informational picket on Queens Boulevard, as they continue their 1.5 year struggle with Queens Defenders for a fi

Jun 17, 2022 | News Story

The FY 2023 New York State budget included up to $3000 bonuses for frontline healthcare workers to acknowledge their efforts and the need to incentivize healthcare workers to enter and stay in healthcare.

Jun 17, 2022 | News Story

Vox Media’s 360-member bargaining unit yesterday near unanimously ratified its second collective bargaining agreement with the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE).

Jun 10, 2022 | News Story

The musicians of Distinguished Concerts International New York are fighting for a fair contract with the help of AFM Local 802. The orchestra performed a live musical rally on Monday night, with the sounds of a brass band echoing over the sidewalks of Carnegie Hall.

Jun 3, 2022 | News Story

On Wednesday, the NYC CLC hosted our annual labor and civil rights event in the form of a panel discussion centering around how union membership has contributed to narrowing the inequality gap and how it can continue to build solidarity in an effort to create prosperity that is felt by all worker

Jun 3, 2022 | News Story

Wireless tower technicians organizing to form a union with CWA released a powerful video this week describing the struggles faced by workers in the industry and calling on tower climbers, everywhere, to come together, join

Jun 25

Saturday, June 25, 2-4PM:  This commemoration / celebration in Columbus Park (the location of the 1982 rallies) will include music, dance, children’s activities and veterans speaking about the strike.

May 27, 2022 | News Story

Teachers and staff at Blue School held a one-day strike on Tuesday, May 24, after the School, an independent school founded by Blue Man Group in Lower Manhattan, announced that it will refuse to recognize their union. The School’s refusal is in defiance of a bargaining order issued by the NLRB.