1650 Legislative Bulletin Archive

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            Please contact your U.S. Congress Representative and U.S. Senator regarding important to the wages, benefits, and pensions of HFCC faculty. 

Health Care Reform

            The passage of comprehensive health care reform should be of concern to HFCC faculty for many reasons, among them: (1) the need of 47 million of our uninsured fellow citizens to have access to health care coverage and (2) the increasing number of insured employees and retirees who are losing health insurance coverage, a prospect from which no employee or retiree – including HFCC employees, HFCC retirees, and their children/grandchildren – is immune.

            While Local 1650 has been able to shield HFCC faculty from the cuts in and loss of health care coverage common across the nation, there is no guarantee that it can do so indefinitely.  Moreover, the Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that retiree health coverage under MPSERS is not guaranteed by the State Constitution and therefore exists at the discretion of the Legislature.

            As mentioned in reference to EFCA, how long will elected local and State politicians provide public sector employees insurance coverage that is disappearing in the private sector?  While there is considerable heat generated by opponents to health care reform, many of whom profit handsomely under the status quo, whatever shortcomings a federal health care voluntary optional program may or may not have, it will prove vastly superior to having no insurance program – an increasingly likely prospect for those of us now insured and our children and grandchildren.

            Sample letters to member of the U.S. Congress and Senator regarding the Employee Free Choice Act and Health Care Reform are available through the AFT website: www.aft.org.  Click on the Legislative Action Center link in the left hand margin and then the Health Care Reform and Protect the Right to Join a Union links.

            These sample letters can be forwarded to your Representative and Senators or you can edit the letters as you see fit on the website.

            Thank you for support Local 1650's efforts to protect your wages, insurance benefits, and pensions.

                                                                                                            John McDonald

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