I'm writing this blogpost in the middle of a crisis.
I am the president of a Local union that represents over 4,000 janitors in the Twin Cities Area. The contract for our janitors expired with the arrival of the New Year. The Friday before New Year's, 24 hours after giving us their very first economic counterproposal, our employers gave us a last offer. They told us they were not willing to bargain with us any further until we took our health care proposal off the table. We are seeking a solution to the problem of low-wage workers without access to health care. They don't want to talk about it.
Of our members who have access to health care, only 42% take it (a quarter of our total membership, as only full-time janitors currently have access to health care). And I can almost count on two hands the number of janitors who take family coverage. Why? The most cited reason is costs - when low-wage workers are faced with the choices of high monthly premiums, they opt to pay a heating bill instead or pay for groceries instead. When low wage workers and their families do not have health insurance, the emergency room doctor becomes the primary care physician. And everyone in the community ends up paying more for health care.
Our union is trying to find solutions at a variety of levels for the problems facing uninsured Americans. We have proposed a plan that would provide family coverage for costs much lower than what the average employer pays for health care. But they won't even talk to us. Our proposal won't solve our nation's health care crisis, but it would be a significant step forward. And we are willing to get to work and fight for it.
And so I write this quickly as we are preparing for a strike authorization vote. I have to get back to work.
I'm writing this blogpost in the middle of a crisis.
Our nation's health care system is in freefall. My wish for the New Year and the new session? That our Minnesota legislators do what they can in our state to fight the battle. Just days after his very close reelection, even Governor Pawlenty agreed that covering children for health insurance had to be a top priority of government. We need to take him up on the challenge and go further.
Senator Linda Berglin has introduced a bill that seeks to allow more people onto MinnesotaCare and undoes most of the damage done by Governor Pawlenty's first-term policies. Although Senator Berglin's proposal moves us in the right direction, it does not seek to achieve universal coverage. Few seem willing to do something truly bold on health care, because it would cost money and there is no political will among the new majority to raise taxes in a time of surplus.
They can, however, enact market reforms that would not cost the state anything but would make health care more affordable for those who have it. They could cap premiums paid to insurers. It would not cost the state and it truly helps families struggling to afford insurance. Obviously, the insurance companies hate it, but someone has to do something to move us forward out of this mess that we call a health care system.
I'm writing this blogpost in the middle of a crisis.
And we've all got to get back to work.