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| | | | | | Memorial Day a time to celebrate and reflect
Commentary by Brig. Gen. Robert C. Nolan II
Air Force Flight Test Center
commander
5/16/2012 - EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- As
we approach Memorial Day weekend, I want to thank each of you for your hard work and dedication to our important mission.
For most Americans, Memorial Day has become the traditional start of summer, but this special day is much more than that.
Memorial Day began after the Civil War as a way to commemorate fallen Union Soldiers. Following World War II, it became
a day to remember the men and women from every branch of our armed forces who have died while serving on our behalf. So this
Memorial Day, as you celebrate safely with family and friends, I ask that you take a moment to honor the memory of those
men and women who have lost their lives defending our freedom. Without their sacrifice, our way of life and everything we
hold dear would be very different.
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Most citizens of the United States
take for granted labor laws which protect them from the evils of unregulated industry. Perhaps the majority of those who argue
for "free enterprise" and the removal of restrictions on capitalist corporations are unaware that over the course
of this country's history, workers have fought and often died for protection from capitalist industry. In many instances,
government troops were called out to crush strikes, at times firing on protesters. Presented below are a few of the many incidents
in the (too often overlooked) tumultuous labor history of this country. Today in labor history - weekend
edition
May 25 Pressured by employers, striking shoemakers in Philadelphia are arrested and charged with criminal conspiracy for violating
an English common law that bars schemes aimed at forcing wage increases. The strike was broken - 1805 Philip
Murray is born in Scotland. He went on to emigrate to the U.S., become founder and first president of the United Steelworkers
of America, and head of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) from 1940 until his death in 1952 - 1886 Two company houses occupied by non-union coal miners were blown up and destroyed during a strike against the Glendale Gas
& Coal Co. in Wheeling, W. Va. - 1925 Thousands of unemployed WWI veterans arrive in Washington, D.C. to
demand a bonus they had been promised but never received. They built a shantytown near the U.S. Capitol but were burned
out by U.S. troops after two months - 1932 The notorious 11-month Remington Rand strike begins. The strike spawned
the "Mohawk Valley (NY) formula," described by investigators as a corporate plan to discredit union leaders, frighten
the public with the threat of violence, employ thugs to beat up strikers, and other tactics. The National Labor Relations
Board termed the formula "a battle plan for industrial war." - 1936  The AFL-CIO begins what is to become an unsuccessful campaign for a 35-hour workweek, with the goal of reducing unemployment.
Earlier tries by organized labor for 32- or 35-hour weeks also failed - 1962 [Greed and Good: America’s unions have always bargained over the wages, hours, and working conditions of workers. Should unions now
also be paying equally serious attention to the "wages" executives take home? Veteran labor journalist Sam Pizzigati
thinks so. A generation ago, Greed and Good notes, top executives averaged 40 times the pay of their workers. Today’s
top execs routinely grab over 300 times what their average workers earn. That’s one key reason why America’s
richest 1 percent now holds more wealth -- over trillion more -- than America’s entire bottom 90 percent combined.
This incredible concentration of wealth at the top, this book’s vivid pages help us understand, is squeezing satisfaction
from our jobs, pleasure from our pastimes, even years from our lives. In The UCS bookstore now.] May
26 Men and women weavers in Pawtucket, R.I. stage nation's first "co-ed"
strike - 1824 Western Federation of Miners members strike for eight-hour day, Cripple Creek, Colo. – 1894 Actors’ Equity is founded by 112 theater actors meeting in the Pabst Grand Circle Hotel in New York  City. A strike six years later, during which membership increased from 3,000 to 14,000, loosened the control on performers’
lives by theater owners and producers - 1913 IWW Marine Transport Workers strike, Philadelphia – 1920 One hundred thousand steel workers and miners in mines owned by steel companies strike in seven states. The
Memorial Day Massacre, in which ten strikers were killed by police at Republic Steel in Chicago, took place four days later,
on May 30 - 1937 Battle of the Overpass, Ford thugs beat United Auto Workers organizers – 1937 May 27
The
U.S. Supreme Court declares the Depression-era National Industrial Recovery Act to be unconstitutional, about a month before
it was set to expire - 1935
Member Tip: Payday Variations It’s common to see different union contracts tackle the same topic in a variety of ways. But the subject
of pay determination may be the area in which union contracts display the greatest number of approaches. Some contracts
set forth specific dollar amounts, payable on an hourly or other basis. Other contracts provide for a base salary,
but they also provide for the possibility of “merit pay” or other variables that can vary the pay levels for
individual employees. For some types of work, it’s common for the collective bargaining agreement to set only
a minimum salary for each classification. Some contracts set up a two-tier pay system, with newly hired employees
coming in at a lower rate and working up a different pay scale. Sometimes, but not always, after a certain number
of years these employees catch up in pay to their longer term co-workers. Finally, there is also the device of “grandfathering.”
“Grandfathered” or “red-circled” employees are those who, despite some change in their job or even
the elimination of an entire classification, are entitled to hold on to their old pay rates.
– Adapted from
The Union Members Complete Guide, by Michael Mauer  Labor Song: I’m Gonna Be An Engineer
Anne Feeney, the grandaughter of United Mine Workers organizer
William Patrick Feeney (1876-1939), has worked as a waitress, a secretary, a clerk at the New York Stock Exchange, a laywer
and a local union president. She travels the U.S. to support embattled workers. Click here to listen to the song.
Special Note: The AFL CIO Now Link is updated daily.
Welcome to United Aerospace Workers Local 887 web site!
Our Local represents the people who put America on the moon. We built the Space Shuttle fleet,
its main engines, and sections of the International Space Station. We build a variety of satellites,
and aircraft. Visit the Smithsonian
Air & Space Museum to view the many air and space vehicles on display. There is a good chance Local
887 had something to do with their construction or flight testing.
In addition to representing a wide variety of skills at Boeing, we are proud of
our members at Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne that build rocket engines for the Space Shuttle Fleet and Delta
rockets and of our cafeteria professionals at Eurest.
Our hope is that this website will keep our members informed as well as create interest and provide
information to those who would like to build a union in their workplace. As you can see, you don't have to build
cars and trucks to be a member of the International Auto, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, (UAW)
Aerospace workers! I thought the UAW was autoworkers!
In fact the UAW represents a wide variety of working people. There are thousands of organizations, each with
a specific purpose or goal. There are so many reasons why one should consider becoming part of an organization he or she believes
in. We are proud of our
long history, lifting workers from poverty and helping to create what is now known as the middle class. Unions are the people who brought you the weekend! Thanks for stopping by and learning about Local
887 and the UAW. ****************************************************
Since 1947, the AFL-CIO has taken great pride in its partnership
with United Way. The labor movement and the United
Way have a long tradition of working together to help workers, families and communities in need.
In communities around the country, United Way funding makes it possible to provide
services people need to get back on their feet. There are over 200 Community Services liaisons supported by the United Way
who serve working families in communities around the country. Please join the Union Veterans
Council in supporting the 2012 United Way campaign where you live and work. If you have any questions or need
further information please contact Will Fischer, AFL-CIO Community Services Coordinator, 815 16th Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20006. wfischer@aflcio.org. Together
we can help those in real need now while we work to rebuild our economy for all.
| UNION ISSUE |
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Saturday, May 12, 2012, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC)
will work to “Stamp Out Hunger” during its 20th annual national food drive. Union Plus urges all union members
and their families to support the NALC by participating. This is the largest one-day food drive in America for helping feed
our own country’s hungry families. It’s easy for you to make a difference!
FIND OUT HOW |
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
Local 887 Member meet to reject or approve a new contract.
On Saturday September 24th rank & file members gathered for information regarding recent
contract negotiations.
Following an information session, the membership ratified the terms of the new agreement by a margin of 85% For more information,
contact your in-plant representative.
Boeing and Biggest Public Firms Paid Little U.S. Tax, Study Says
UNION PLUS AT&T Wireless Service Discounts
UAW employees, officers and members to wear red on Wednesdays
UAW employees and officers will be wearing red every Wednesday to show their support for public sector workers under
attack by Republican governors and lawmakers who are pushing policies that will wreck America’s middle class.
Starting March 9, Wednesdays are ‘Solidarity Day’ at Solidarity House, the UAW’s headquarters in Detroit
and at other UAW offices throughout the nation. The union is also encouraging its members to wear red on Wednesdays to
show solidarity with public sector workers. “We're asking staff, clerical employees, and members to wear
red as a weekly symbol of what we’re fighting for: the right to exercise one’s First Amendment right to freely
associate and join a union as well as the right to collectively bargain with public employers,” UAW President Bob
King said.
_____________________________________________________________________________________ Stop Mortgage Fraud Homeowners are being warned about possible loan modification scams, tied to the state's recent $18 billion
home mortgage settlement with five major U.S. banks - Bank of America/Countrywide, Citibank, JP Morgan Chase/Washington Mutual,
Wells Fargo/Wachovia and Ally Financial. Noting that scams often arise
after high-profile settlements, state Attorney General Kamala Harris reminds consumers to never pay upfront for loan modification
services or give out any personal information like birthdates and driver’s license numbers over the phone or online.
The recent settlement, part of a nationwide agreement between attorneys general
in 49 states, is designed to help distressed homeowners who either went through or are facing foreclosure. For free, trustworthy advice, call a federal HUD-approved counselor at (888) 995-4673
or "Keep Your Home CA" at (888) 954-5337. The Attorney
General also offered these five tips:
Don't pay up-front fees. Foreclosure consultants are prohibited by law from collecting money before services are
performed. Don't ignore letters
from your lender or loan servicer. Responding to those letters is your best bet for saving your house. Don't transfer title or sell your house to a "foreclosure rescuer."
Beware! This is a scam to convince homeowners they can stay in the home as renters and buy their home back later. It might
also be part of a fraudulent bankruptcy filing. Either way, a scammer can then evict the victim and take the home.
Don't make mortgage payments to anyone other
than your lender or loan servicer. Mortgage consultants often keep the money for themselves. Never sign any documents without reading them first. Many homeowners think
that they are signing documents for a loan modification or for a new loan to pay off the mortgage they are behind on. Later,
they discover that they actually transferred ownership of their home to someone who is now trying to evict them.
National Consumer Protection Week The California
Department of Consumer Affairs is joining forces with federal and local government agencies as well as non-profits across
the state to help protect residents during National Consumer Protection Week. This year, officials are warning Californians “Don’t Get Burned” by unlicensed professionals.
Whether it be auto repair, home remodeling or even a pedicure, it is
vital to use a licensed professional. Those with a license from the state of California have gone through the proper training
and testing to ensure that they are qualified to perform the service in question. Consumer officials want you to take charge to protect yourself and your pocketbook. They have put together
lists of tips you should know before your visit to the acupuncturist, beauty salon, mattress store, dentist, optometrist among
many others. Click here to learn more ways to not get burned.
GOP’s ‘Job-Killing’ Whopper, Again
Republican attack ads peddle a shopworn, overblown claim about the health care
law's effects. February 21, 2012 Summary
The exaggerated Republican claim that the new health care law
“kills jobs” was high on our list of the “Whoppers of 2011.” But the facts haven’t stopped
Republicans and their allies from making the “job-killing” claim a major theme of their campaign 2012 TV ads:
- Five ads by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce attack Democrats by repeating the “Obamacare will kill
jobs” refrain.
- Seven other Chamber spots praise Republicans, using the same theme.
- An ad from the group Freedom Path, supporting Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, says the law is “devastating to small
business.”
- Republican Rep. Jo Bonner of Alabama features a large stack of papers
he claims are “job-killing regulations and taxes” in one of his spots.
All
of this is health-care hooey, aimed at exploiting public concern over continuing high unemployment, with little basis in
fact. As we’ve said before (a few times), experts project that the law will cause a
small loss of low-wage jobs — and also some gains in better-paid jobs in the health care and insurance industries.
It’s also expected that more workers will decide to retire earlier, or work fewer hours, when they
no longer need employer-sponsored insurance and can obtain it on their own with help from federal subsidies. But that
just means fewer people willing to work — and it will free up jobs for those who want them. If anything, that could
reduce the jobless rate. Claims about the alleged devastation of small business are also off
base. The fact is, businesses with fewer than 50 workers are exempt from the requirement to provide coverage, or pay
a penalty to the government. Furthermore, some small businesses with fewer than 25 employees are already getting tax
credits under the new law to help defray the cost of providing worker coverage. The GOP ads
tend to combine the mostly bogus “job-killing” claim with their well-worn slogan calling the law a “government
takeover” of health care, which isn’t true. The law expands the government’s Medicaid system to cover
some who are not currently insured, but it also greatly expands private insurance. After the law takes effect, the government’s
share of all spending on health care will still remain well under half, rising less than 4 percentage points, according
to official projections. Read on to our Analysis for more on the law’s projected impact
on jobs. Note: This is a summary only.
The full article with analysis, images and citations may be viewed on our Web site: http://factcheck.org/2012/02/gops-job-killing-whopper-again-2/
From Fact Check.org
The Whoppers of 2011The year's worst political deceptions, from both sides.December 20, 2011
SummaryDespite what you may have heard in 2011: - The new health care law won’t cost many jobs
(and they’ll be poorly paying jobs at that).
- Republicans aren’t proposing to “end” Medicare
(and Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden has signed onto a modified version of the GOP plan).
- Most
of the “millionaires” who would pay higher tax rates under a Democratic proposal aren’t job-creating small-business
owners.
- President
Obama’s mother didn’t really fight to get health insurance coverage as she was dying.
And there was plenty more spin and deception in 2011. Obama claimed he pays a lower tax rate than a teacher.
Michele Bachmann endorsed a claim that HPV vaccine causes mental retardation. Joe Biden claimed rapes quadrupled in Flint,
Mich., after police layoffs. And that’s just some of the nonsense we debunked. For
our full run-down of the worst political whoppers we encountered during the year, please read on to the Analysis section.
And get ready for more in the presidential election year that is about to begin.
FactChecking Health Insurance Premiums Republicans
exaggerate an increase caused by the new law. But Obama promised lower premiums. October 24, 2011
Summary Health insurance premiums for employer-sponsored family plans jumped a startling 9 percent from 2010 to 2011, and
Republicans have blamed the federal health care law. But they exaggerate. The law -- the bulk of which has yet to be
implemented -- has caused only about a 1 percent to 3 percent increase in premiums, according to several independent
experts. The rest of the 9 percent rise is due to rising health care costs, as usual.
Furthermore,
the increase caused by the law is a result of the increased benefits it requires, a factor Republicans generally ignore.
So far, insurance companies have been required to do the following:
*Cover preventive care without copays or
deductibles.
*Allow adult children to stay on parents' policies until age 26.
*Increase annual coverage
limits.
*Cover children without regard for preexisting conditions.
On the other hand, the fact that the
law caused any increase at all cast more doubt on Obama's promise that the law "could save families $2,500 in the
coming years." We've been calling that claim into question for several years now. The plain fact is that --
so far -- the law has caused an increase in premiums, though not so large an increase as some Republicans claim.
Note: This is a summary only. The full article with analysis,
images and citations may be viewed on our Web site: Desktop Users
Median wages and the great stagnation Posted
10/21/2011 4:56 AM from Daniel Pereira in News Headlines, Economy, US Markets
 The Social Security Administration released data on U.S. wages and payroll in 2010 this week, and the news isn't good for most of the working class or
middle class.
Though the average wage of a single earner stood at $39,959.30 per year, that number was skewed
by those at the very top of the survey - the 93,725 earners who took home more than $1 million annually. That top sliver -
a fraction of a fraction of the top 1 percent - collectively took home $224.6 billion , or about $2.4 million
per top earner.
The median wage for the 150 million workers surveyed in 2010 was just $26,363.55
per person. For comparison, the poverty line for an average 4-person household is set at $22,350, while the line for a single
person living alone comes in at $10,890.
When one end or the other of a set becomes skewed, averages become
extremely misleading. The $40,000-per-year figure seems reasonable until you realize that just over 66 percent of all workers
come in under that number. As the SSA states, "by definition, 50 percent of wage earners had net compensation less than or equal to the median wage."
In more prosperous times, it might have been safe
to assume that the average 4-person household contained two wage earners, but with U-6 unemployment at a seasonally adjusted rate of 16.5 percent in September, that's far from certain.
It looks like half of all American families are a single layoff away from living in poverty.
In the meantime,
the major banks earnings are boosted by an accounting quirk called the debt value adjustment, which means that their earnings rise if their creditors perceive their debt as riskier, and thus less
valuable, TheStreet reports.
When two facts like these are set against each other, is it any wonder that the occupations in
Zuccotti Park, Dewey Square and Grant Park continue to gather momentum?
GDP growth or decline is basically
irrelevant - indeed, average wage growth is irrelevant - if half of all American workers can barely sustain a family
above the poverty line.
[Via Ezra Klein at The Washington Post ] The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions
of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.
David Madland and Nick Bunker show in the following chart, the middle class’s share of
national income has steadily declined as the percentage of the population in labor unions has fallen. At the same time, the
top 1 percent’s share of national income has exploded: 
Strong unions have traditionally been the free-market solution to income inequality, allowing people to get higher
salaries without government intervention. Unionization has allowed middle class and working-class Americans to have the
ability to bargain for stronger wages and benefits and a larger share of national income. Highly-unionized countries tend
to have far less income inequality. Sweden, where 85-90 percent of the population is unionized, is both a prosperous country and one of the most economically equal societies — and that’s in a nation that doesn’t even have a national minimum wage.
Fiscal FactCheck Does Washington have a spending problem or an income problem? We offer some key facts.
Local 887 Executive Board Election Results
2010 Local 887/Boeing Contract Info Click Here
The 17th annual executive compensation survey looks at how CEOs laid off thousands while raking in millions.
Union Plus
VA Makes Filing Claims Easier and Faster for Veterans
UAW members who worked at the following: Santa Susana Field Laboratory, Atomic International Los Angeles, Canoga Park Facility
(Van Owen Bldg.), Desoto Avenue Facility, Downey Facility PLEASE CLICK THIS LINK FOR COMPENSATION INFORMATION
Be a 'born-again American'
"Go For Launch"
Must See Shuttle Video
Sept. 14, 2011
A new report finds the federal government pays more than twice as much to private
contractors as it would cost federal workers to perform the same work. The report by the Project on Government Oversight
pretty much blows up the argument by Republicans and right-wing extremists that most government should be privatized because
workers are overpaid with far too generous benefits.
When your car breaks down in a ditch and you need it to get to work, what
do you do?
A. Fix it, even if you have to responsibly take out a loan—and work harder over time to pay off
the debt, even if it means taking a second job.
B. Stay in the ditch, throw a tantrum and default on your mortgage.
The economy still is reverberating from the deepest financial crisis since the Great Depression. But
rather than work to fix our economy, some congressional members are willing to keep it in a ditch.
Two leading
congressional representatives recently left budget negotiations and are threatening to force default on our national debt
if they don’t get their way.
When our economy’s broken, we need leaders who will fix
it—not politicians who throw temper tantrums when millionaires and billionaires are asked to pay their fair share.
Programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are not just lifelines for working people and poor families—they’re
all that’s stopping our economy from falling off a cliff again.
With businesses not hiring and wages flat,
every dollar in cuts will hurt the economy—and cuts that hurt middle-class and poor Americans will hurt the economy
most. Some jaded politicians are willing to let that happen.
To fix our economy, we can and should be building up the American middle class—not tearing it down.
We need to educate our children, build a clean energy future and invest in 21st century American infrastructure that makes
us competitive in the world. It’s time to act like the wealthy, compassionate, imaginative country we are—not
let hypocritical politicians turn us into an impoverished nation.
Some congressional members say
they’ll accept a temporary default on our national debt to get the cuts they demand. But it’s a big lie.
A temporary default would hurt Wall Street and Big Banks more than it would hurt working folks. And Wall Street controls enough
of our politics these days that it will never happen.
The reality is, a deal will have to be reached soon to keep
us from defaulting on our national debt—and if President Obama and congressional members stand strong, that deal doesn’t
have to hurt working families.
Last Saturday, Vice President Biden said, “We’re never going to get
this done, we’re never going to solve our debt problem if we ask only those who are struggling in this economy to bear
the burden and let the most fortunate among us off the hook.” We agree.
P.S. The ”Robin Hood in Reverse”
budget ideas proposed by some congressional members are shocking:
- There are those who want to end Medicare as we know it and put Americans at the mercy of private insurance companies. Congressional members voted for a radical budget that would end Medicare and
replace it with underfunded vouchers for private insurance. It would cause a typical 65-year-old to spend $6,359 more per
year out of pocket for health care in 2022.
- Congressional members want hundreds of billions in cuts to Medicaid. These cuts would hurt millions of children and seniors in nursing homes. Medicaid is health care
of last resort. It’s for poor kids and our most vulnerable senior citizens. It saves the lives of countless children
each year and keeps senior citizens in quality nursing homes. According to Families USA, “Every federal Medicaid dollar
that flows into a state stimulates business activity and generates jobs.” Cutting Medicaid will kill jobs—and
there are way too few private-sector jobs to fill in the gap.
- Congressional members want to rob the Social Security Trust Fund. Social Security has a $2.6 trillion surplus—and will pay full benefits
through 2037 if we just leave it alone. Even after that, it will pay 78 percent of benefits. It’s completely separate
from the federal budget. We have time to make responsible fixes to shore up Social Security in the long term, separate from
the immediate budget issues.
When you hear Garrison Keillor's line about all the children in Lake Wobegon being above average, have you ever paused and thought about yourself? Are you above average? In intellect? In height? In driving
skills? In physics skills? In ability to deliver a joke? In foul recognition on a soccer (football)
field? In leading a team? How about the person in the next cubicle? Is he or she above average? Would he or she
agree with your self-assessment? If both of you are above average, where are those below average folks? What questions
do you have about how we measure and rank ourselves (or our children)? What's your mental model about comparison? To
what extent does one's culture affect this mental model? How do our mental models affect our attitude toward change and improvement?
As for skills as a physicist, Stephen Hawking delivered a 90-minute presentation at Caltech earlier this week. His session, titled, "My Brief History," included commentary on his neuro-muscular dystrophy, and his reflections on being diagnosed, while still in graduate school;
"When you are faced with
the possibility of an early death," he said, "it makes you realize life is worth living and there are lots of things you'd
like to do."
His lecture ended with questions from three
students. The last one, from an undergraduate student, asked Hawking to comment on a story of a noted physist who
once compared himself to Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton on a scale of physics intellect. The student
wanted to know where Hawking would place himself on this same scale. His quick reply offered insight on his
mental model about comparisions; "people who rate themselves are losers."
5 Things We Would Lose If Congress Repealed Health Reform
January 18, 2011 at 2:41 pm
The House of Representatives plans to vote tomorrow on a bill to repeal the Affordable
Care Act — that is, health reform. Below are five of its provisions that are already having an impact. As
the list shows, repealing health reform would make it harder for many Americans to get insurance, harder for families and
seniors with coverage to afford the care they need, and harder for small businesses to provide insurance for their employees:
1. Insurance coverage
for young adults. The Affordable Care Act requires insurers and employers
that offer dependent coverage to allow parents to include children up to age 26on their insurance plans. This year alone, 1.25 million young adults are expected to benefit. In the past, most
insurance companies dropped children once they turned 19 or if they weren’t students. That’s one reason
why a third of all young adults lack insurance — a larger share than any other age group.
2. Free preventive
care. Forty-two million seniors in Medicare and another roughly 41
million Americans with private insurance can now get free preventive health care servicesbecause the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to provide it. Preventive care includes screenings for chronic illnesses
like diabetes and cancer, vaccinations, and regular doctor visits. Better access to preventive care will help millions
of families with their budgets and likely produce other benefits, such as fewer unnecessary deaths from disease, less spending
on costly and avoidable illnesses, and a healthier population overall.
3. Protections for
children and adults with serious illnesses. The Affordable Care Actbars insurance companies from denying coverage to children with pre-existing health conditions like
cancer, autism, or diabetes. As a result, for the first time in most states, families with children with serious illnesses,
chronic conditions, or special health care needs can buy coverage for their children in the individual health insurance market.
Also, insurers can no longer cut off care for people with serious illnesses who need expensive
medical care. The Affordable Care Act bars insurers from imposing “lifetime limits” on benefits. Now,
people who get cancer or another illness that requires expensive treatments won’t have to worry that their benefits
will run out or that the expensive treatments will push them into bankruptcy — or worse, that coverage limits will prevent
them from getting lifesaving care.
4. More affordable
prescriptions for seniors. The Affordable Care Act has begun to close
the “doughnut hole,” the gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage that many seniors experience for drug costs
beyond their first $2,840 but before additional coverage kicks in when their costs hit $6,448.
Before the Affordable Care Act, seniors paid 100 percent of prescription drug costs within
the doughnut hole. Last year, seniors received a $250 payment under the Affordable Care Act to help with these costs.
This year, seniors are getting even more help — a 50 percent discount on brand-name prescription drugs and a 7 percent
discount on generic prescription drugs while they are in the coverage gap. The law will close the entire doughnut hole
by 2020.
5. Tax credits to
help small businesses buy coverage for their employees. Starting last
year, an estimated 4 million small businesses, covering as many as 16.6 million employees, became eligible for a tax credit under the Affordable Care Act to help offset the cost of buying health coverage.
It costs small businesses much more than larger firms to provide health insurance with comparable benefits, both because they
have higher administrative costs and because small businesses with older or sicker workers pay higher premiums. The
tax credit will help small businesses that are struggling to provide coverage to their workers and encourage more small businesses to offer coverage.
More improvements to the nation’s health care system will take effect in the months
and years ahead. Tomorrow, we’ll look at five important benefits of the Affordable Care Act that won’t take
effect if health reform is repealed.
More About Shannon Spillane
Shannon
Spillane is Deputy Director of Communications for Strategic Initiatives.
JOB TRACKER Find out which companies in your area are exporting jobs, laying off workers, endangering workers' health or involved
in cases of violations of workers' rights. The database contains information on more than 400,000 companies nationwide.
New California Workers' Rights Handbook Now Available
The UC Berkeley Labor Center has just released its latest version of the California Workers'
Rights Handbook, a basic overview of the legal protections for workers under California and federal law, designed for use
by workers and those who represent them.
Order your copy. -------------------------------
LEARN WorkFamily - The Labor
Project for Working Families has launched a FREE online labor education and resource network - LEARN WorkFamily
(www.learnworkfamily.org) - to help unions build family-friendly workplaces. This unique resource network features the nation's
only online database of contract language on work family issues such as family leave, childcare, elder care, flexible work
options, adoption, bereavement leave and much more. Register now for FREE at www.learnworkfamily.org to use the online contract language database. For more information, email info@working-families.org or call (510) 643-7088.
What Our Customer Thinks About Teaming "Buy the book or buy the farm"
Neither Free Nor Fair: The Subversion of Democracy Under NLRB Elections contrasts what NLRB elections look like in the real
world with what happens in elections for public office.
Chasing Down Retirement
“If
there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, want crops
without plowing the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful
roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and
physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without demand. It never did and never will.”
--
Frederick Douglass
New Link - Congress of California Seniors
Human Toll of a Pension Default
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