Reno, Nevada.   The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the twenty-second international union to endorse HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI).

On August 27th the 38th AFGE National Convention passed Resolution #4003, “Endorsing Universal Health Care H.R. 676.”  The resolution was submitted by Local 2157 which represents workers at the Portland, Oregon, Veterans Administration Medical Center.  AFGE represents 600,000 federal and District of Columbia workers in a wide variety of agencies, including Social Security, the Veterans Administration, and the Bureau of Prisons.

Betsy Zucker, RN, FNP, and a convention delegate from Local 2157, said after the vote: “AFGE members from around the country overwhelmingly endorsed H.R. 676, Single Payer Health Care, on August 27.  Federal workers understand that Medicare-for-All will save money, provide health care to all, and start addressing health care as a human right, not a commodity to be bought and sold to the highest bidder.  AFGE supports health care for people, not for profits!”