Two More Labor Councils Endorse HR 676. Total Now 130.

In Grand Forks, North Dakota, the Northern Valley Labor Council AFL-CIO of Western Minnesota and Eastern North Dakota has endorsed HR 676, single payer health care legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI), reports Mark Froemke, President of the West Minnesota Area Labor Council.  The Council voted at its June 9th meeting.

In Portland, Oregon, the Northwest Oregon Labor Council voted June 22nd to endorse HR 676 and to submit a resolution to the National AFL-CIO Convention calling for an endorsement of HR 676.

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 Secretary-Treasurer Jeff Anderson, a member of the Executive Board of the Northwest Oregon Council, helped in bringing forward the resolution to the Executive Board and to the Council.  Other supporting unions included IBEW Local 48, the Machinists, and CWA, reports Margaret Butler, CWA Local 7901 council delegate.

One hundred and thirty Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations have now endorsed HR 676.

St Louis, Missouri.  The Missouri State Conference of Electrical Workers has endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by
Congressman John Conyers (D-MI).

The Conference, made up of all 21 IBEW local unions in the state of Missouri, represents more than 21,000 members.  The endorsement was voted at the regular quarterly meeting on Jan 13th.

Michael Datillo, President of IBEW Local 1455 who also serves as President of the State Conference, said the resolution was supported by both the members and the Executive Board.  Datillo stated:  “All unions in this Conference have negotiated healthcare for our members.  But the Supreme Court has prevented us from negotiating for retirees and with lay offs and plants closing, we all see the distress the healthcare system is in.  Healthcare is a big issue at every negotiation.  We are looking for a source for all Americans to have a good healthcare system not just our
members.”

Photo: Debi Davidson, Unpaid Nurse at CMC

CMC Hospital
Workers Still
Waiting for Pay

By Michael Pound
Beaver County Times

“They found money to pay the lawyers, and they still won’t pay us? It is outrageous.” –Michelle Batchelor, Hopewell Township, former operating room nurse at Commonwealth Medical Center.

———

PITTSBURGH, Feb 18, 2009 – The company that holds the checkbook for the bankrupt Commonwealth Medical Center found money to pay the attorneys who represent many of the hospital’s creditors — but the folks who worked for the hospital in the weeks before it closed are still waiting to hear when they’ll get their money.

Despite assuring everyone involved that there would be an agreement in place to ensure that those checks would be forthcoming, an attorney representing Bridge Healthcare Finance — the primary creditor in the case and the firm that controls whatever money is spent by the hospital — pulled back from those discussions, with the exception of finding about $20,000 for paying other lawyers involved in the case.
Continue reading Aliquippa Workers to Bridge Finance: ‘Why Are We the First in Line to Work, and the Last in Line for Payment?’ →