NV Culinary Union suggests Sanders, Warren asking union members to trade health plans for 'promises'

[Jose Garcia]

The politically powerful Culinary Union hasn’t yet endorsed in the Democratic presidential primary, but it is making clear which candidates it won’t be supporting.

A one-pager from the union, the kind of document usually distributed in employee dining rooms and break areas, obtained by The Nevada Independent obliquely accuses Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren of wanting to take away union members’ hard-fought and much beloved health plans and warns that electing either candidate will lead to four more years of a Donald Trump presidency.

The union, which provides health insurance to 130,000 workers and their family members through a special trust fund, strongly opposes the Medicare-for-all plans the two candidates support, which would eliminate the union’s health plan by design. 

However, until now, union leaders have directed their ire more generally at the policy than the candidates who back it.

More: https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/culinary-union-suggests-sanders-warren-asking-union-members-to-trade-health-plans-for-promises

[stopbush]

1. Bingo! Now multiply that union response by hundreds of other unions

and by employees who are happy with their employer-provided insurance and you see that MfA is a LOSER among even left-wing voters.

[CowboyProgressive]

26. But you're not taking away their health care.

You’re just handing them a new health care card.

[stopbush]

32. Bull.

[stopbush]

35. I've had employer-provided insurance where I had no monthly premium.

I am now on Medicare where I have a monthly premium of $155.

Tell me how that difference is equal to just switching the insurance card in my wallet.

[RandySF]

2. It's also trading the ACA for promises

A Sanders nomination is a very high-risk/high-reward gamble because if he loses, he takes the House down with and the ACA is history.

[Ron Green]

3. It's very American to divide us all up between groups who "have ours" and

those who don’t. Multiple risk pools create a world of more investment opportunities and money-making in the place of actual medical care. Keeping people split up this way is good for business.

[Doremus]

6. This.

[ChubbyStar]

8. Was the opinion that of management or rank and file workers?

Call me a cynic but this smacks of brass not the actual workers.

[Ron Green]

9. Sadly, as we know, rank and file workers are often pitted against other

groups of workers in the interest of their corporate masters. The precious jewel of health care has been used for a long time in this country to hold back wages and other things from working people.

[squirecam]

10. So you are against organized labor?

Because they organized and made a bargain on terms they agree with?

Fascinating.

[Ron Green]

12. I'm not against organized labor, but I'm against their being made to

fight for what ought to belong to everyone. Employers have long substituted “benefits” for fair wages (until recently when these benefits have become prohibitively expensive.) In the case of the Nevada food workers, there’s a big enough pool that they can somehow still provide some coverage. I don’t know the typical out-of-pocket costs for these workers, but I’ll bet they’re rising.

Anyway, my point still stands: Using health care as a bargaining chip is not good for our country.

[brush]

29. Unions have fought for and have excellent healtcare. Why give it up for promises that most...

likely won't come through for decades? The dumbest thing Sanders and Warren did was say everyone would have to give up their healthcare for M4A.

Looks good for Biden in Nevada.

[ChubbyStar]

14. Pretty big reach there the poster said NOTHING REMOTELY LIKE THAT

If you know anything about unions the rank and file often get screwed in labor agreements. But please continue to fish......

[brush]

31. I live in Vegas. MFA is not popular with rank and file union members because they already have...

an excellent healthcare program they've fought for and don't want to give up for a promise that may or may not happen for decades.

Looks good for Biden.

[stopbush]

33. This

[MarcA]

24. +1,000 n/t

[CowboyProgressive]

27. Exactly

You have to take the massive profit motivate out of medicine. There’s a way to reasonably pay for r/D and hospitals.

[Cha]

4. Wow

[oasis]

5. Smart union folk. They refuse to buy "pie in the sky".

no, no and no.

[George II]

7. Why risk giving up something they have and is WORKING for something that hasn't even been....

...fully defined yet?

[Cha]

25. Exactly.. I stand with the Culinary Union!

[Gothmog]

11. The powerful Culinary Union in Nevada is going nuclear against Sanders.

Link to tweet

[Gothmog]

13. From John Ralston

Link to tweet

[oasis]

15. Ralston has his finger on the pulse of all things Nevada. nt

[Tarheel_Dem]

16. K&R

[Gothmog]

17. Union support is critical in Nevada

Link to tweet

[Gothmog]

18. The Unions support the Biden plan

Link to tweet

[Gothmog]

19. Nevada union warns members of Sanders, Warren health plans

Link to tweet

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada’s most influential union is sending a subtle message to its members discouraging support for Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren over their health care stances even though the union has not yet decided if it will endorse a candidate in the Democratic presidential race.

The casino workers’ Culinary Union, a 60,000-member group made up of housekeepers, porters, bartenders and more who work in Las Vegas’ famed casinos, began distributing leaflets in employee dining rooms this week that push back against “Medicare For All,” the plan from Sanders and Warren to move to a government-run health insurance system.

The leaflet said “presidential candidates suggesting forcing millions of hard working people to give up their healthcare creates unnecessary division between workers, and will give us four more years of Trump.”

Health care is one of the biggest issues for the union, whose members have fought and negotiated for robust plans.
With voting in Nevada’s presidential caucuses scheduled to start in just over a week, the union’s message to stand firm against the health care plans could signify that union leaders worry their members are considering voting for those who would unravel the union’s crowning achievement.

[Gothmog]

20. Statement by Nevada Culinary Union on attacks by sanders supporters

Link to tweet

[denem]

21. Surely these incendiary attacks on anyone who disagrees with the Sanders campaign

will permeate through to a wider audience. This is an authoritarianism that has no place in the Democratic Party.

[Scurrilous]

22. K&R

[Scurrilous]

23. Not sure Sanders official team has grasped the extent to which their supporters are impacting voters

Link to tweet

[oasis]

28. Kick

[Gothmog]

30. sanders supporters are doxxing leaders of the Culinary Union

Link to tweet