Labor Union Blog

British Airways said on Friday that an additional 1,200 jobs would be cut on top of nearly 4000 cuts previously announced. In July the airline let it be known that it would seek to let go of 3700 jobs by the end of March 2010. The company also began shifting 3000 full time workers to part-time employment. Last week a court ruled that British Airways could fly overseas flights with small crews. Workers are currently voting on possible strike action against the airline.

The streets of Ireland were filled with workers Friday and into the weekend calling for slower budget reforms. The protests broke out in at least eight cities and towns with estimates putting the participant’s numbers in the tens of thousands. The unions representing many of the workers estimate that nearly 70,000 workers took to the streets. The largest public sector union in Ireland is known as IMPACT and is calling on the Ireland’s public servants to take part in a country wide 24-hour strike on November 24.

Lede: With U.S. national unemployment at a 26-year high, workers see no economic recovery for them.

By Doug Cunningham

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According to reports the AFL-CIO will consider cutting contributions to politicians who aren’t supporting issues workers care about. According to the report on Politico.com the labor organization will discuss options during an executive council meeting on Monday. Earlier this year the Sheet Metal Workers vowed to cut all contributions to political candidates and use that money instead to fight for health care reform.

Last night, 220 members of Congress showed they’re on the side of working families, not big insurance companies. They’ve earned our thanks for keeping their promises and passing landmark health care reform.

Our friends at Health Care for America Now (HCAN) have set up an easy tool where you can contact your member of Congress and thank him or her for voting “Yes” on H.R. 3962. We demanded this change with our votes and our voices, and House members stepped up to make it a reality.

H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, is the right way to cover more people and make the nation’s health care system work better for everyone. It includes a public health insurance option, provides assistance for middle-class families to get health care coverage and sets tough new rules for insurers, making sure no one can be denied care or be rejected from coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

Health care reform will be paid for by a combination of employer responsibility, cost savings and a surtax on the extremely wealthy. It does not tax middle-class workers’ benefits.

It took real courage to stand up to the disinformation and big bankrolls of the insurance companies, and [x] members of the House showed that courage, voting to help millions of people get the affordable health coverage they deserve. They need to hear from you, so let them know they did the right thing.

Union members have rallied for health care across the country.

This is what progress looks like. Tonight, by a 220-215 vote, the U.S. House has passed a historic health care reform bill that will improve the nation’s health care system, covering millions of uninsured and making insurance work better for those who have it.

H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, fulfills the decades-long promise to create a system that provides affordable, high-quality health care coverage to nearly everyone. It will break the stranglehold of insurance company greed and cut costs for both families and the country. It will make a real difference for families across the country.

The bill is fairly funded, relying on employer responsibility and a surtax on the highest earners—not a tax on middle-class workers’ health benefits. And it offers the choice of a public health insurance option that can compete with private insurers.

Across the country, a broad coalition of community groups, including the union movement, fought hard and reached out to House members to ask them to pass this critical bill. Thousands of your letters and phone calls helped make the difference.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says this bill is a big victory for working families:

We heard a lot of rhetoric today, but in the end it boils down to this: It is time to say “yes” to a more secure future for Americans—and that is how the majority in the House of Representatives answered. It is time to say “yes” to lowering health costs, breaking the stranglehold of the insurance companies and extending health care to those in our rich country who are sick and need it. Shame on those who stood for the failed status quo by voting “no.”

We applaud Speaker Pelosi, the other members of the leadership and the majority in the House of Representatives for bringing us closer than ever to our long-held goal.

The U.S. Senate will consider a health care reform bill over the coming weeks, and then the House and Senate will combine the bills in conference. There’s still a long way to go, but today is a great day for the country and a big step toward a health care system that works for everyone.