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Demanding Health Care Reform Now!

June 26, 2009

Members of AFSCME and other unions demonstrate on Capitol Hill.

HEALTH REFORM NOW! – Members of AFSCME and other unions demonstrate on Capitol Hill for quality, affordable health care for all.

Photo Credit: Evy Mages

Two-thousand AFSCME members and thousands of other union members and community activists gathered Thursday near the U.S. Capitol for National Health Care Reform Rally and Lobby Day. Their purpose: persuade Congress to pass a comprehensive health care plan to provide coverage to 47 million uninsured Americans.

Organized by Health Care for America Now! (HCAN), the rally brought out lawmakers and speakers from several unions and other organizations.

Kathy Fatica, vice president of Local 2666 (Pennsylvania Council 85) revved up the crowd. A public health nurse employed by the Erie County Department of Health, Fatica also introduced actress Edie Falco, who related personal reasons why America needs a new health care system.

AFSCME International Pres. Gerald W. McEntee addressed the issue of affordability:

“A lot of people say we can’t afford to fix health care now, but the President has made it clear – we can’t afford not to,” McEntee said.

McEntee added that Congress should not tax the health care benefits of those who already have insurance. Instead, he said, “the very wealthy who got one tax break after another under George W. Bush” should help pay for it.

AFSCME members and leaders also spoke at various “town hall” events around the city. Dave Fillman, executive director of AFSCME Council 13, told the Pennsylvania gathering:

“The health care crisis touches all of us,” Fillman said. “It’s causing families to lose their homes and their hope. But we’re doing something to restore hope.”

Another AFSCME “town hall” speaker was Tom Connelly, a registered nurse at an acute care hospital and president of Ohio Local 2026 (Council 8):

“What I see every day breaks my heart,” Connelly said, noting that the uninsured – and under-insured – “wait until they are too sick to ignore their symptoms.” Then, when they do come into the emergency room, “it makes it harder for us to provide quality care. The whole system is strained. Everyone suffers the consequences.”

Glen Middleton, executive director of AFSCME Council 67 in Maryland and an AFSCME International vice president, also spoke at one assembly. Most union members have health insurance, he noted. However, he added:

“We know that every time we negotiate a contract, our insurance is on the chopping block.”

Learn more about comprehensive health care reform on the HCAN site and at MakeAmericaHappen.com. For news coverage of the rally, check out these stories in Politico, The Huffington Post, CBS News and this blog post from the AFL-CIO’s Seth Michaels. Read more about Connelly’s remarks in The Business Journal. See a photo gallery, video highlights and more on AFSCME.org.

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