TheBakersfieldChannel.com
February 27, 2004
UFCW International President’s Statement
Excerpts from the statement of United Food and Commercial Workers international President Doug Dority on the Southern California Strike/Lockout:
Today, I am pleased to join with the officers of the seven Southern California UFCW local unions in their announcement of a tentative agreement in the longest major strike in the history of the UFCW, the largest and longest strike in the history of the supermarket industry, and the first major strike of the 21st century.
The men and women on the picket lines are genuine heroes. Their sacrifice
for affordable family health care has motivated and activated workers across
the nation. I am honored to be part of their union, and I am humbled as well
as inspired by their dedication, strength and selflessness.
Through their struggle, the striking and locked out workers have performed a
service for the whole country. They have sounded the alarm for all of America — your health care benefits at work are at risk. If the supermarket giants profitable, growing Fortune 50 mega-corporations can launch an attack on health care benefits, then every employer is sure to follow. They have sounded the alarm that the American health care system is ready to collapse.
In one year, over 2 million lost health insurance. That’s over 6,000 workers
a day. The fight here has given us a national call to action. We must have national health care reform. No one company, no one union, no industry or group of workers alone can fix the health care system. We can patch it up. We can protect our members for another contract term, but the system continues to falter, exacting an increasing cost on both workers and employers and leaving more and more families without health care.
Now is the time for action. 2004 is the year to put health care reform on the political agenda and demand that every candidate for office commits to comprehensive, affordable health insurance for every working family.
No worker should ever again be forced to choose between a paycheck and health care benefits. No worker should ever again be forced into the streets for five months to protect health care for their families.
The UFCW will lead the fight for health care reform. And, I believe, with members like our Southern California members, the UFCW will win that fight.
http://www.thebakersfieldchannel.com/news/2881620/detail.html
Comment: The UFCW can’t do it alone. Let’s all join in the effort. Each of us should use our individual talents to motivate action in our communities, religious organizations, service clubs, political parties, professional societies, and any other milieu that can move the cause forward.
Stop what you are doing right now and set aside five minutes (time it) to think of nothing else other than what you can do to support the movement for universal, comprehensive, affordable care for everyone.
Check the time. You have five minutes… Go!