Wednesday
Feb182009
Unions: Can they help the economy?
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 at 3:20PM
by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Sevice
According to a report titled "Unions Are Good for the American
Economy" released by the Center for American Progress Action Fund,
unions would significantly help every American now during the economic
crisis.
"Workers in Unions earn 30% higher wages taking home about $863 a week
compared to $663 for the typical non-union worker." said Robert B.
Reich, Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public
Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and former
Secretary of Labor for President Bill Clinton. Reich also said that the
report shows that union workers are 59% more likely to have employer
provided health insurance as well.
According to the report, unions help workers achieve higher wages said
Karla Walter, the Policy Analyst with the American Worker Project at
American Progress. "We found when we controlled for factors like race,
age, and education level we were able to quantify the union
difference. What we found is that unionized workers wages on average
were 11.3% higher than non-unionized workers with similar
characteristics... That translates to $2.26 up per hour more." she said.
Walter stated that non-union workers would also benefit because their
employers would be likely to raise wages in response to fears that if
they don't raise wages their employees would unionize. "The Employee
Free choice Act is not only important because it makes it harder for
anti union companies to harass workers attempting to unionize and
break the law but it also provides a very important economic benefit.
Boosting unionization rates will improve millions of Americans
economic standing, it will provide the families who have union jobs to
pass to the middle class and it will pump billions of dollars into the
economy ever year." Walter concluded.
According to a report titled "Unions Are Good for the American
Economy" released by the Center for American Progress Action Fund,
unions would significantly help every American now during the economic
crisis.
"Workers in Unions earn 30% higher wages taking home about $863 a week
compared to $663 for the typical non-union worker." said Robert B.
Reich, Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public
Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and former
Secretary of Labor for President Bill Clinton. Reich also said that the
report shows that union workers are 59% more likely to have employer
provided health insurance as well.
According to the report, unions help workers achieve higher wages said
Karla Walter, the Policy Analyst with the American Worker Project at
American Progress. "We found when we controlled for factors like race,
age, and education level we were able to quantify the union
difference. What we found is that unionized workers wages on average
were 11.3% higher than non-unionized workers with similar
characteristics... That translates to $2.26 up per hour more." she said.
Walter stated that non-union workers would also benefit because their
employers would be likely to raise wages in response to fears that if
they don't raise wages their employees would unionize. "The Employee
Free choice Act is not only important because it makes it harder for
anti union companies to harass workers attempting to unionize and
break the law but it also provides a very important economic benefit.
Boosting unionization rates will improve millions of Americans
economic standing, it will provide the families who have union jobs to
pass to the middle class and it will pump billions of dollars into the
economy ever year." Walter concluded.
High Health Costs Forcing Americans To Go Bankrupt, Cut Back On Care
The current health care system is not bankrupting America; Rather, outrageously high medical bills, mounds of credit card debt and expensive mortgages are what cause Americans to file for bankruptcy, experts said Tuesday at a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law.
Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of one-time Democratic Presidential hopeful John Edwards, shared statistics with the committee regarding vast medical costs forcing Americans into declaring bankruptcy. Edwards explained that such costs force households into cutting back on what they spend on health care.
“According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey, concerns about affording needed medical care led insured individuals to cut back on care due to cost. Responses included postponing care (34%), skipping a recommended medical visit or treatment (30%), not filling prescriptions (27%), and skipping doses or cutting pills (21%),” said Edwards.
University of Michigan Law Professor and bankruptcy expert John A. E. Pottow offered his definition of medical bankruptcy to the committee.
“It could mean someone whose medical debts exceed…a certain percentage of their income. Or it could mean someone who lost income or a job, or even had to mortgage his or her home, due to medical bills,” said Pottow.
Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, a physician and Harvard University medical professor, argued that only a single-payer system can make health care coverage available and affordable to all Americans, and would “save hundreds of billions we now waste on insurance overhead and bureaucracy”. Woolhandler also claimed that private insurance is fundamentally defective and the tremendous amount of over-treatment by doctors causes medical bills to go way up.
However, the committee’s ranking Republican member, Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), took issue with Woolhandler’s sentiments.
“Here’s my big concern, and that is that somehow the answer to medical bankruptcy is nationalized healthcare…If a [nationalized healthcare system] saves hundreds of billions of dollars, it would be a first in history for government to do something of this complexity and actually save money,” said Franks.
“If indeed private insurance is fundamentally defective…with all the crises that people face with healthcare, if you put it in government hands, even to a partial extent, you will diminish the dignity of the patient and the pressure will be on giving less healthcare…I am convinced that healthcare will become more expensive...Instead of having financial bankruptcy, we will have health bankruptcy,” said Franks.