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:

Feb 23, 2024 | News Story

For more than 52 years, U.S. Postal Service (USPS) workers have unfairly had their retirement funds raided by the U.S. government—resulting in more than $90 billion in unjust expenses to the USPS.

Feb 23, 2024 | News Story

Writers Guild of America East members at The Ringer, Gimlet, and Parcast are in negotiations with parent company Spotify to secure just and equitable contracts.

Feb 29

SUNY's plan to make drastic changes in the structure and operation of the public teaching hospital at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University would relegate this safety net hospital to a wing in Kings County Hospital Center.

Feb 16, 2024 | News Story

On Tuesday, thousands of Flight Attendants from Alaska, Air Wisconsin, United, American, Southwest, Frontier and more, picketed outside more than 30 airports worldwide including NYC's LaGuardia.

Feb 16, 2024 | News Story

The National Council of Actors’ Equity Association voted unanimously to authorize a strike against The Broadway League for work on the Development Agreement.

Feb 9, 2024 | News Story

Workers at Nitehawk Cinema, the movie theater known for pairing first-run and repertory film programming with tableside food and drink service, performed almost entirely in the dark, are petitioning to unionize at their Prospect Park location.

Feb 9, 2024 | News Story

Writers and editors at CBS News Digital have announced that they have unionized with the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE). CBS News Digital’s 46-member bargaining unit has called on CBS News management to voluntarily recognize their union, without delay or division.

Feb 9, 2024 | News Story

FIFA on Sunday announced that the Host Region of New York New Jersey (NYNJ) was awarded the rights to host the FIFA World Cup 26 Final and seven other matches throughout the tournament at New York New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium) in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Feb 9, 2024 | News Story

SUNY's plan to make drastic changes in the structure and operation of the public teaching hospital at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University would relegate this safety net hospital to a wing in Kings County Hospital Center.

Feb 9, 2024 | News Story

Members of the Meredith Union (part of NewsGuild of NY) held a rally and practice picket with the CLC's Scabby Wednesday outside of the headquarters of Dotdash Meredith, where they work to produce People Magazine, EW, Martha Stewart Living, Shape & People TV.